Chuckanut Drive open again after rock slide closes highway for nearly two days

Chuckanut Drive is open after being closed for nearly two days following a rock slide early Wednesday, the state Department of Transportation said.

The slide was first reported at around 2:30 a.m. Wednesday, just north of the highway’s intersection with Pacific Rim Drive. It left several large boulders sitting on the northbound shoulder while others smashed through a concrete barrier on the southbound shoulder. Smaller rocks were left strewn across the road.

Crews arrived at the site Wednesday and soon determined the slope was stable. But the road remained closed through Wednesday night as workers removed the rocks and a tree that came loose in the slide.

The department announced the road’s reopening on Twitter at about 5:20 p.m. Thursday.

The busted concrete barrier would be addressed at a later date, said Ally Barrera, a Department of Transportation spokeswoman.

This story was originally published March 16, 2017 at 6:17 PM with the headline "Chuckanut Drive open again after rock slide closes highway for nearly two days."