Caltrans working to clear 18-foot boulder near Idyllwild

Caltrans crews are working to break apart an 18-foot boulder blocking a stretch of Highway 243 near Idyllwild.

They said it might be awhile before the road is back open.

Rocks began falling on the roadway around 10 p.m. Sunday between Pine Cove Road and Franklin Avenue and the massive boulder hit the road sometime later.

Caltrans employees said it’s been awhile since something like this has happened.

“We were speaking with one of the workers and to his recollection the last time it happened was the late ’90s. Something similar occurred and one of the fixes to that was to install some metal netting,” said Philip Havins with Caltrans.

Roger Gonzales was driving home Sunday night when he came upon the boulder.

“Someone said the road is closed, and I said why? He said there’s a boulder in the road,” Gonzales said.

He waited for at least 45 minutes before he could go around.

Caltrans now investigating the cause and cleaning up the rubble.

Until the boulder is removed, visitors and residents will have to use alternate routes.

“We wanted to go further down to see if there was more snow over there. But now we can’t,” said Ginises Delgdo from Palm Springs.

As the investigation continues Caltrans said they won’t know for sure if the moist ground or recent earthquake near Banning are to blame for the rockslide.

But everyone we talked to said events like these are just a part of mountain life.

Motorists can reach the Pine Cove area from I-10, however not Idyllwild.

Motorists traveling to communities north of Pine Cove, such as Idyllwild, must use Highway 74 through Hemet to Highway 243 as a detour.