Delays expected on Highway 63 due to rocks

Drivers should expect delays on Highway 63 on the weekends between Ashland and Jefferson City, as road crews from the Missouri Department of Transportation (MoDOT) blast away a bluff that is too close to the roadway.

Several rock slides were reported along the northbound stretch of the highway near S. Westbrook Drive.

But the entire highway, going both directions, was shut down Saturday for about 30 minutes around 1:30 p.m. for the construction, according to Missouri State Highway Patrol Officer Matt Broniec, who was one of the officers assisting MoDOT in directing traffic.

According to the trooper, even though the blasting site is on the northbound side, southbound lanes were closed during the blast as a precaution and was reopened about five minutes after.

However, traffic was backed up for about 45 minutes.

One northbound lane remains closed near the blasting zone as MoDOT crews continue to chip away at the bluff for the next several weeks.