(Host) The city of Montpelier spent Tuesday digging out from a rockslide that had forced the evacuation of some residents and cut power to parts of the downtown.
Montpelier officials say power has been restored and evacuees have returned to the homes.
Police Chief Doug Hoyt says the area of Elm Street affected by the slide, just a few blocks from the Statehouse, will likely remain closed to traffic for the rest of the week.
Hoyt says as crews continue the cleanup, officials are keeping an eye on portions of the remaining rock face that may collapse into the roadway.
(Hoyt) “I don’t think there’s any question of it the consensus is there’s going to be more to come down. The question is how much. We can pretty much see that there’s some stuff that has to come down. It’s protruding in such a way that it presents a risk.”
(Host) Hoyt says there’s a possibility of another slide the size of the one Monday that dumped tons of rock into the street, snapping and bending power poles.
He says officials will use a crane to examine sections of the cliff to determine how much material might come down in the future and decide if anything can be done to prevent further slides.
(Hoyt) “We’ll have a better look at it in terms of what the geologists and engineers will tell the city. There may be some strategies in terms of pinning the wall or netting it. It all depends on how much money you want to spend.”
(Host) The area where the slide occurred has been the site of smaller rockslides in the past. No houses were damaged in Monday’s slide.