MONTPELIER, Vt. (AP) – Residents of 39 apartments on Elm Street headed back in their homes Tuesday night as city officials continued to shore up a cliff that dumped car-sized boulders onto the street.

City officials moved a crane into position Tuesday afternoon to enable them to remove additional debris from the cliff so it can’t fall into the street, Montpelier Police Chief Doug Hoyt said.

“We’re going to use the crane to remove any loose or dangling material on the face of the wall and get the loose stuff out of the way,” Hoyt said.

But it will still be some time before the Elm Street area where the slide occurred it can be reopened to traffic, he said.

“For the foreseeable future, we need to get it stabilized and then see the full extent of the damage,” Hoyt said.

Late Monday afternoon, a series of rock slides dumped boulders, some as large as cars, onto the street, Vermont Route 12. The street was closed, and residents of the 39 apartments in two apartment buildings were evacuated. There were no injuries.

Hoyt said geologists had looked at the slide area, but couldn’t make a full assessment until after the loose debris had been removed.

Utility crews worked Tuesday to restore electric, telephone and cable TV service to the affected buildings, Hoyt said.

Hoyt said he didn’t know what the long-term solution would be or have a cost estimate for the cleanup.

“It’s going to be a substantial amount of money,” Hoyt said. “The good thing is nobody’s been hurt.”