Submitted by Utah Department of Transportation
CEDAR CITY — The Utah Department of Transportation (UDOT) has closed state Route 14 (S.R. 14) eight miles east of Cedar City following a landslide early this morning to address safety concerns and assess repair options.
The road closure currently extends from milepost 8 to the junction of S.R. 148. The slide destroyed approximately 800 feet of the road at milepost 8.
UDOT anticipates the closure to last several weeks as geotechnical experts evaluate the safety of the area, engineers design a solution and crews work to remove the debris.
The slide is adjacent to an area that clogged the route with mud, trees and boulders larger than cars in December 2008.
UDOT closed S.R. 14 on Thursday for several hours after a smaller slide scattered debris over the road and new cracks were discovered in conjunction with the season’s first major winter storm.
Motorists traveling between I-15 in Iron County and U.S. 89 in Garfield counties should consider S.R 20 south of Beaver as an alternate route. Cabin owners at Duck Creek Village must approach from Long Valley Junction on U.S. Highway 89.
S.R. 14 is a popular tourist and outdoor recreation route extending through Cedar Breaks National Monument. Businesses at the mouth of Cedar Canyon are still accessible from Cedar City.