State Road 9 has been reopened through Zion National Park. Beginning on Sunday, Sept. 27, the route from Mt. Carmel Junction to Springdale was operating at normal capacity again with both lanes of traffic cleared of debris. Previously, the road was open only from the east entrance to the Mt. Carmel Tunnel. The rockfall that closed the road occurred sometime before 4:30 a.m. on Wednesday, Sept. 23. Two massive boulders, weighing approximately 200 and 100 tons, crashed onto the highway, blocking both lanes of traffic. A local equipment operator was brought in to break the boulders into smaller pieces using a hoe ram.
The rockfall occurred near the first switchback leading up to the Mt. Carmel Tunnel. A delay in opening the road was required to ensure public safety by removing rock from the cliff face. According to the Zion National Park hydrologist Dave Sharrow, the debris fell in an area noted for previous rock falls.
“The area that the rock fall occurred in is a part of the Springdale Sandstone rock formation,” said Sharrow. “There are cliffs that are near the road and because the road is carved into the side of the mountain rock falls can, and do, occur.”
A survey of the area by Zion Park road crews, the Utah Department of Transportation, Utah Geological Survey, and Federal Highway Administration engineers came to the conclusion that portions of the rock face still posed further danger for rockfall on the road.
“We want to thank all the people who have been affected by the road closure for their patience as we tried to get the road reopened as soon as it was safe to do so,” said Zion National Park superintendent Jeff Bradybaugh. “The safety of the visiting public and our staff is of the upmost importance to us.”
