The rocky slope – historically vulnerable to landslides – is located on the west side of O ’ Shaughnessy , across from Glen Canyon Park . After small boulders tumbled down the hill forcing a temporary closure of the roadway on Jan . 10 , geotechnical engineers were brought in to assess the undeveloped hillside for potential rockslides and recommended that loose rocks near the top be knocked away in a controlled manner .
With more rain in the forecast , Public Works Director Mohammed Nuru declared an emergency to allow the necessary work to get underway . Public Works contracted with Drill
Tech Drilling & Shoring , Inc . to perform the technical hillside job that involved specially trained workers tethered to ropes to repel down the slope and extricate loose rocks with crowbars and other hand tools . At one point , an airbag was inflated underneath a particularly large and stubborn boulder to dislodge it from the hillside .
The work was methodical and at times exciting to watch , as rocks crashed down the slope and into a fence and concrete barricades set up along the side of the road to catch them .
O ’ Shaughnessy was closed to through traffic during the operation , starting on Wednesday , Jan . 18 . Crews hustled through Thursday in periodic downpours to complete the work , and the roadway was back open by Friday morning – ahead of schedule – after Public Works crews hauled away some 100 cubic yards of debris .
The emergency work , performed quickly , successfully and safely in a challenging environment , bought us time to map out a longerterm solution with geologists and engineers to stabilize the hillside and keep the public safe .