A large landslide in Washington County will keep a section of Route 88 closed for the next two to three weeks.

The slide left a pile of debris covering both the northbound and southbound lanes in East Bethlehem. PennDOT spokesperson Valerie Petersen said the pile was the size of a small house and included boulders as large as a minivan.

Because PennDOT does not own equipment that can move debris that large, officials are preparing to enter into an emergency contract with a company that can do so. PennDOT environmental engineers are still analyzing the scene to determine whether the land is stable enough to bring workers into the area.

Officials attribute the landslide to the large amount of rainfall in the area over the past several months and worry that more land could fall if it continues to rain over the next several days.

Around 6,000 vehicles normally travel the road daily.

Traffic is being detoured to Route 2063 (Ridgewood Drive), Route 2041 (Maiden Road), Route 40 and Route 2026 (Ridge Road), before being steered back to Route 88.

First Published: May 16, 2011, 4:45 p.m.