Explosives found in shed force shutdown of I-17 in Flagstaff
Jun 3, 2016, 6:42 AM | Updated: 10:08 am
(Screenshot)
PHOENIX — Over 30 miles of Interstate 17 in northern Arizona was shut down early Friday so authorities could safely dispose of explosives found on a nearby ranch.
I-17 Closing for High Explosive Disposal at 5:00 a.m. on Friday, June 03, 2016.https://t.co/z1OREED86l
— Dept. Public Safety (@Arizona_DPS) June 3, 2016
The Arizona Department of Public Safety expected the 32-mile stretch (in both directions), part of it connecting to Sedona, to be closed for a handful of hours, starting at 5 a.m.
Instead it was reopened in less than three hours.
A rancher found 50 pounds of old dynamite Thursday in a shed just off the freeway near Munds Park at the Newman Park exit, authorities said.
DPS said the explosives were unstable and that it was best not to move them.
The closure went into place at State Route 179 going north and Kelly Canyon Road going south.
Air space was also going to be off limits around the site.
The blast was not expected to damage the road.