Unusual rock slide stalls traffic on Highway 37

A rockslide closed one lane of Highway 37 near Libby early Wednesday afternoon. Large boulders rolled from the hillside onto the road, closing the northbound lane.

Deputies from the Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office responded to the slide and directed traffic until the debris could be cleared.

“This sort of thing is pretty common further up, but it’s uncommon this far down,” Deputy Steve Short said. The slide occurred between mile markers four and five on Highway 37 on a narrow stretch of road with the hill on one side and a drop into the Kootenai River on the other.

“This could have been really bad,” Capt. Kirk Kraft added, “these rocks could have killed someone.”