ROSSPORT — A rock slide forced the closure of the Trans-Canada Highway on the north shore of Lake Superior for a few hours early Monday morning.
A large number of rocks fell from a cliff onto both the eastbound and westbound lanes around 1:30 a.m. between Rossport and Pays Plat First Nation.
Ontario Provincial Police said no injuries were reported.
The highway was reopened after the Ministry of Transportation arranged for the rocks to be removed.
The incident occurred near what's known as Hill 19, where a contractor hired by the province worked over the past two years to build new truck-climbing lanes and undertake other improvements to the highway.
The MTO has issued the following statement about the incident:
Rockfalls can occur in winter when it rains, then freezes, then thaws. In this instance, a rock mass became unstable and detached from the face. The Ministry of Transportation completed an initial site visit at which time warning signs were erected in the area . . . Engineers will continue to monitor the area. To prevent rock falls, the ministry undertakes various remediation measures such as scaling loose rocks, cleaning ditches to catch loose rocks, and rock excavation to increase catchment capacity.
NOTE: This story was updated at 12:30 p.m. on Jan. 2 with additional information provided by the MTO.