Logan Canyon closed to avalanche
The Utah Department of Transportation has closed Logan Canyon because of an avalanche this afternoon.
“We have had one or two small avalanches every winter but nothing like this,” said UDOT spokesman Vic Saunders.
According to UDOT, Logan Canyon has never in known record had an avalanche of this scale.
“This area has never had an avalanche this big before,” Saunders said. “We don’t know if any more like this will happen in the valley.”
UDOT is still unsure if anyone was injured in the avalanche because of poor cell phone and radio service in the canyon. Alan Anderson, the Utah State University executive director of dining services, was driving through the canyon this morning and reported that some truck drivers were forced to stop along the canyon road due to poor road conditions.
“I was driving through the the canyon this morning and there were a lot of diesel trucks pulled off on the side of the road,” Anderson said.
Saunders predicts the canyon will be open again tomorrow night at the earliest.
“The avalanche crew will blast it tonight to get the rest of the snow off the mountain then they’ll clean it up,” Saunders said.
Before clearing the snow from the road, avalanche crews use explosives to clear unstable snow in order to prevent further avalanches.
Until the snow is cleared, UDOT advises drivers to use State Road 30, State Road 16, and Interstate 84 at Evanston, Wyoming to travel to and from the area east of the avalanche. Traffic is currently backed up on these roads, but expected to clear by tomorrow morning. Updates will be posted on Twitter @utahstatesman.
@HowardShanie