The last unstable rock left attached to the Billings Rims following a September rock fall on Laredo Place was safely removed Monday, and the area below now safe to work in.
Billings City engineer JD Anderson said the goal was to make the area below the fall safe to clean up the boulders that still litter Laredo Place.
City-contracted Apex Rock Fall Mitigation removed the remaining attached piece, dubbed the east block, but the job took some extra work.
Anderson said crews attempted to remove the east block on Sunday, but the rock's grip was too strong. Crews has to drill more holes in the rock to loosen it up.
Monday afternoon, crews used tools to chip off more pieces from the east block before its removal.
Anderson said work to clean up the boulders from the street could start as early as Wednesday.
Billings-based Askin Construction is contracting with the city to break up and remove boulders from Laredo Place.
