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Explosives blast massive rock from Highway 138 A giant rock that fell onto Highway 138 near Glide is blocking both lanes. Oregon Department of Transportation crews are working to break up the rock and reopen the highway. [Photos courtesy of ODOT] Thursday Mar 30, 2017 at 9:28 AM Mar 30, 2017 at 3:30 PM Ryan Pfeil Mail Tribune @RyanPfeil A rock the size of a cottage that crashed down onto Oregon Highway 138 east of Glide early Thursday was large enough to smother both lanes, but explosives helped hasten the Oregon Department of Transportation's cleanup efforts. The rock fell onto the road after midnight, so crews had to wait until daybreak to assess the situation. The boulder measured about 12 feet in height and weighed about 200 tons, according to ODOT spokesman Jared Castle. Crews responded to the scene to break up the rock and clear the stretch on the Rogue-Umpqua Scenic Byway. Several other rocks around the big one weighed 50 to 100 tons each, Castle said. Engineering business Weekly Bros., Inc., and explosive manufacturer Austin Powder, both in Roseburg, helped clear the biggest rock by blasting it to pieces. A video posted by ODOT shows the rock being reduced to rubble in a matter of seconds. Calls to Weekly Bros. and Austin Powder about the type and amount of explosives used were not immediately returned. On Thursday afternoon, ODOT estimated one lane of the highway would reopen Thursday night. There was no official estimate on when the road would be fully clear, because more cleanup work and paving was expected through the weekend at least. Delays and traffic control were expected to be in place when the highway reopened. Highway 138 runs from Interstate 5 at Roseburg to Highway 97 northeast of Crater Lake National Park. Updates on work at the site can be found at www.tripcheck.com. — Reach reporter Ryan Pfeil at 541-776-4468 or [email protected]. Follow him at www.twitter.com/ryanpfeil.