ALAMOGORDO, N.M. (AP) — Federal and state officials plan to temporarily close part of a highway in southern New Mexico's Otero County for a day later this month to remove crash debris from an adjacent canyon.
Lincoln National Forest officials say U.S. 82 will be closed Aug. 14 for nearly 7 miles (11 kilometers) between High Rolls and North Florida Avenue on the outskirts of Alamogordo.
The driver of a tractor-trailer rig was killed May 7 when the truck crashed into a side of a tunnel and then caught fire.
Officials say removing the debris will help maintain the area's scenic nature and ensure that unwanted materials don't enter the nearby waterways.