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Ortega Highway Reopens After Rock Slide

LAKE ELSINORE (AP) — The main road between Orange County and southwest Riverside County has reopened after workers cleared a rock slide that brought boulders onto the road.

A California Department of Transportation spokeswoman says a hillside above State Route 74, also known as the Ortega Highway, collapsed Sunday morning. The rock slide occurred near the border between the two counties.

Caltrans spokeswoman Terri Kasinga says crews removed about 20 truckloads of debris throughout the day. She says a geologist determined the hillside was stable enough to reopen the road, and will continue to do so when another storm was expected to sweep through the region this week.

Last week's storm brought more than an inch of rain to the area.

The highway is a major commuter route.

(© Copyright 2014 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)

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