U.S. 52 West in Lawrence County is still reduced to one lane this evening following a rock slide Wednesday.

U.S. 52 West was reduced to one lane at the 12.50-mile marker, just west of Township Road 268 (Crabtree Hollow Road) and near the Ashland, Ky., twin bridges, shortly before 11 a.m. Wednesday after debris and small rocks fell from the hillside ledges.

Although crews from ODOT’s Lawrence County Highway Maintenance Facility cleared the roadway, they placed barriers and closed the driving lane of U.S. 52, restricting traffic to one lane in the westbound direction while a project gets underway to remove loose rock from the hillside.

Currently, contractors for ODOT are undertaking a bench cleaning project from just west of the State Route 650 interchange at Hanging Rock to just east of Coal Grove and the Ashland bridges. The project, which began Monday, includes excavating and scaling the rock slopes and benches at various locations along the route’s westbound side in order to reduce the potential for rock falls.

Although crews from BUDS Inc. were scheduled to be working at other locations this week, they will move operations to this site and begin clearing the area today.

Throughout the construction project, traffic will be maintained in a minimum of one lane in each direction at all times; however, there should be little to no impact to eastbound motorists as most work will take place along the route’s westbound side.

All motorists, though, are reminded of the need for additional caution when traveling through the area.

BUDS Inc. was awarded a contract in the amount of $268,990 in early October to complete the bench cleaning project, and all work is anticipated to be completed during the winter of 2014.