‘As big as a car’: boulder falls onto I-15 in Virgin River Gorge

A rockslide within the Virgin River Gorge happened overnight at about mile marker 15, Arizona Strip, Ariz. Nov. 11, 2022 | Photo courtesy of Alberto Melchor, St. George News

CEDAR POCKET, ARIZ. — A boulder described as being as big as a vehicle fell to the side of south Interstate 15 through the Virgin River Gorge overnight Friday, but no one was hurt.

At about 5 a.m., the Arizona Department of Public Safety said it was dispatched to approximately mile marker 15 within the gorge for debris on the southbound lanes of Interstate 15.

The debris was from a rockslide resulting in a boulder described by Alberto Melchor of Mesquite, Nevada, as ‘big as a car.’

Melchor provided a picture of the boulder to St. George News, which he took as he traveled back to Mesquite from St. George this morning.

Andre Ojeda of Beaver Dam Fire and Rescue reported they were not dispatched to the area as no injury or harm happened.

“Only DPS was called out there,” said Ojeda. “It happened overnight. No one was injured.”

This map was released by ADOT to notify the public of the location of the rockslide within the Virgin River Gorge, Arizona Strip, Ariz. Nov. 11, 2022 | Map courtesy of ADOT, St. George News

“I-15 southbound at milepost 15 near Cedar Pocket: Debris is blocking the right lane,” read a Twitter post by ADOT.

The right lane on the southbound side of I-15 was temporarily blocked off while the removal of the boulder was performed by ADOT personnel.

At about 1:47 p.m., ADOT posted on Twitter and social media that all obstructions were removed and the lanes were reopened.

St. George News has reached out to the Arizona Department of Public Safety but has not received a response back.

This report is based on comments by first responder personnel, ADOT personnel, and witnesses and may not include the full scope of the findings.

 

Copyright St. George News, SaintGeorgeUtah.com LLC, 2022, all rights reserved.

Free News Delivery by Email

Would you like to have the day's news stories delivered right to your inbox every evening? Enter your email below to start!