‘It Looks Like an Earthquake.’ Massive Boulders Crush Part of an Ohio Highway

Massive boulders crushed a portion of a popular Ohio highway this week — splitting the road and rerouting commuters for weeks to come.

The rockslide occurred on the westbound side of Route 7 — which commuters use to travel to Huntington, W. Va. — in Chesapeake, Ohio, along the Ohio River. No one was injured and no vehicles were damaged when the rockslide occurred Monday morning, according to Matt Bruning, the press officer for the state’s department of transportation.

The boulders, however, did leave a substantial mark on the road that will require weeks of reconstruction work, Bruning said.

“It looks like an earthquake,” Bruning said. “Looking down the crack, there is dirt that hasn’t seen the daylight since the road was built in the 1960s.”

All four lanes of the highway were closed Monday when the rockslide occurred. One lane of the east-bound portion of the highway has since reopened, Bruning said, and commuters have alternate routes available while reconstruction is underway.

By Tuesday, workers already removed a large portion of the boulders, using tools to break apart the rocks. Repaving the road, however, will take several weeks.

While Ohio is not known for its mountainous terrain, rockslides are commonplace in the state, especially in areas along the Ohio river. Areas like these are prone to rockslides at this time of the year due to rainfall and flooding.