This week, travelers along state Route 36 suffered delays, detours and dangerous conditions as wet weather precipitated a series of slides, causing full and partial road closures between Maple Grove and Riverside Park throughout the week.

The most dramatic scene involved a massive and protracted rockslide that sent boulders, trees and mud toppling into the road “east of Swimmer’s Delight near the Devil’s Elbow picnic area (PM 15-16),” according to Caltrans’ social media alerts.

As of Friday afternoon, the highway remains indefinitely closed near Devil’s Elbow.

“We know it’s difficult for residents living in Eastern Humboldt, having the road closed, making it difficult to travel and reach their destinations,” Caltrans spokesperson Manny Machado told the Times-Standard on Friday morning. “We appreciate their patience during this time … Our work crews are doing their best to get the road cleared. There is a lot of debris and trees on the roadway, so it is taking some time.”

A Caltrans alert posted to social media at 1:12 p.m. Friday noted that “Route 36 remains FULLY CLOSED in Humboldt County east of Swimmer’s Delight (PM 15-16) due to an active landslide. We anticipated reopening the roadway later today, but that is no longer possible given the extent of slide activity.”

A break in the weather has allowed Caltrans to clear debris, and as of 11 a.m. Friday morning, the agency had expected to at least partially reopen the road by that evening.

“We’re taking advantage of a break in the weather. Yesterday, work crews were on scene, removing the large trees and debris from the roadway, and they are back on scene today as they continue the cleanup process,” Machado said. “They continue to make progress, and we anticipate being able to open Route 36 by 5 p.m. today. Of course, this is subject to change.

“We first made the decision to close Route 36 on Tuesday afternoon at 2 p.m., and then we were able to reopen the roadway Wednesday morning. But then we had to close the road again later that afternoon, and it’s remained closed ever since.”

Machado said that Caltrans was working to maintain a clear lane for emergency vehicles should first responders need to operate in that area. He also noted that motorists can expect delays of up to an hour when the road is reopened.

“As always … readers can use the Caltrans QuickMap app (at https://quickmap.dot.ca.gov) and follow us on social media for the latest road conditions,” Machado added.

Robert Schaulis can be reached at 707-441-0585.