ECHO, Summit — 7:55 p.m. update:
All lanes of Highway 50 are now open after a rockslide shut down portions of it in El Dorado County for hours, according to CalTrans.
CalTrans officials tweeted that while the roads are now cleared, there is still work that needs to be done when it comes to maintenance on the highway.
2:50 p.m. Update:
A portion of Highway 50 has reopened following an hours-long closure due to a rockslide, according to CalTrans.
A tweet from CalTrans District 13 says rock scaling work will continue but one lane is now open over Echo Summit.
CalTrans crews will continue to monitor the area throughout the weekend to make sure the route is safe for travel.
Original Story:
A portion of Highway 50 in El Dorado County is closed to through traffic Friday morning because of a rockslide.
According to a tweet from Caltrans District 3, the rockslide happened just east of Echo Summit, which is about 30 minutes outside of South Lake Tahoe, around 5:45 a.m. Friday, April 9.
Commuters should expect delays in the area as work to clear the roadway is expected to take up to six hours. Caltrans hopes to have at least one lane open to traffic by early afternoon.
CHP officer Lt. Ken Nelson said one car was overturned by the rockslide.
Caltrans said they've started blasting the large boulders in effort to clear the rockslide and hopes to open up one lane by the afternoon, if it is safe to do so.
The suggested alternative routes include:
Westbound
- From Reno/Carson City: Nevada SR-88 south to CA SR-88 west, to SR-88 to US-50 into Placerville. Commuters can also take SR-49 north to SR-16 west to US-50 west towards El Dorado Hills/Folsom.
- From South Lake Tahoe: Take SR-89 to SR-88 west then take SR-49 north to US-50 into Placerville. Commuters can also take SR-49 north to SR-16 west to US-50 west towards El Dorado Hills/Folsom.
Eastbound
- From Sacramento: SR-16 east, to SR-49 south, to SR-88 east, to SR-89 north to US-50 in Meyers.
- From Placerville: SR-49 south, to SR-88 east to SR-89 north into South Lake Tahoe.
- From Stockton: Exit SR-99 to SR-88 east, continue on SR-88/49. In Jackson, turn left to continue on SR-88 east. At SR-89 turn left (north) & keep going to US-50 in South Lake Tahoe. Commuters can also take SR-88 east in Stockton to SR-88 south, then to SR-89 north into South Lake Tahoe.
RELATED STORIES FROM ABC10:
Watch more from ABC10:
Major Highway 50 construction project underway in Sacramento