The Pennsylvania Department of Transportation's Route 28 hillside stabilization contractor has scheduled another test blast at 10 a.m. today south of the Harmar/Route 910 interchange.

Traffic is to be stopped in both directions at 9:55 a.m., but is expected to be light because schools and some businesses are closed for Good Friday.

The blast is necessary because the first test done on Monday on a 30-foot-long section of the rockface along the southbound side of the highway failed to achieve the desired results. In addition, because some debris landed on the highway, Route 28 was closed about one hour instead of the predicted 15 minutes.

PennDOT is spending $8.5 million to remove 77,000 cubic yards of rock, dirt and debris and construct a 1,600-foot-long protective fence because of continuing slides and rock falls from the hillside, which was extensively excavated to build the divided highway about 30 years ago.