WESTMORE — The closure of Vermont Route 5A in Westmore to stabilize a rock ledge along the road next to Lake Willoughby, will be extended until Friday, November 1.
The rock stabilization project involves scaling loose material from the ledge face and pinning blocks in place to prevent future failures.
The site has a history of rockfall failures, including one that occurred in March affecting travel on Route 5A until large rocks that fell into the road could be removed.
It is anticipated additional failures will occur this winter if remediation is not completed.
Contractor JP Sicard’s crews have finished scaling and removing the rock debris from the site.
One-third of the rock dowels have been installed, and the contractor says crews will work on installing rock dowels through the weekend.
During the course of this work and removal of loose material from the rock slope, there was bedrock material exposed that provided the opportunity to deliver a longer-term fix than the original stabilization measures that were outlined in the project scope.
As a result, VTrans authorized the contractor to complete additional stabilization measures which required more time.
The road is expected to re-open by the end of the day on Friday, November 1.
Travelers will need to continue to use Route 5 and Route 16 as a detour during the closure period
