Twice-daily highway closures that will become the norm for at least six weeks began Tuesday morning, with an explosive charge dislodging the first chunk of approximately 800 feet of ledge along Interstate 95 in East Lyme.

A text alert went out around 10:41 a.m. to warn drivers and nearby residents of the blasting project that would be temporarily closing both sides of the highway between exits 74 and 75.

State Department of Transportation spokesman Josh Morgan said the blast occurred at 11:09 a.m. He said traffic was flowing normally within 10 minutes of the blast.

The detours will occur twice daily from Monday through Thursday for six to eight weeks as both sides of the highway are shut down for roughly 15 minutes each time. There was only one blast Tuesday.

Text alerts will be sent out a half hour before each blast. To sign up, visit www.i-95eastlyme.com/contact-us/sign-up-for-alerts.