The view from the canyon wall above I-70 where a massive rockslide came down and closed the highway Monday. (Colorado Dept. of Transportation / March 9, 2010) |
GARFIELD COUNTY, Colo. - Crews climbed the canyon wall Tuesday morning above where a massive rockslide crashed into Interstate 70 in Glenwood Canyon. They were going to examine the stability of a 20-foot diameter boulder that remained perched above the highway. They were going to see if they needed to force it off the canyon wall.
Road crews completed blasting the giant rocks that sat on the highway Monday. They will continue work to remove debris from the Interstate, and then begin repairs. Gov. Bill Ritter issued a disaster declaration, requesting federal funds to help repair the serious damage caused by a rockslide which happened at around midnight Sunday night/Monday morning.
There was still no estimate Tuesday when the road might reopen to traffic.
Boulders the size of tractor trailers came crashing down onto the interstate early Monday, forcing the closure of a 17-mile stretch of the heavily-traveled highway just west of Hanging Lake Tunnel.
Colorado Department of Transportation spokeswoman Stacey Stegman said workers are drilling holes in the boulders to insert explosives and blast them into smaller pieces.
Stegman says approximately 20 boulders fell onto the interstate, ranging in size from three feet to 10 feet in diameter. The largest is estimated to weigh 66 tons.
Damage is substantial and the highway "is not expected to open anytime soon," officials said.
"The rocks have made holes in the elevated sections of roadway -- the largest being in the westbound lanes (closest to the hillside) and measuring 20 feet by 10 feet. Another hole in the lower eastbound lanes measures 6 feet by 6 feet," a CDOT statement said. "There are a half a dozen other holes and 'dips' in the roadway, as well as areas where rocks are embedded. Most of these repair areas appear to be approximately 5 feet by 5 feet."
The rock fall covers 100 years of roadway. It also damaged 120 feet of steel guard rail and 100 feet of median barrier.
No vehicles were damaged and no injuries were reported.
"Currently, the highway is closed between Dotsero and Glenwood Springs," Stegman said. The westbound side of the highway is closed at Dotsero, and eastbound is closed in Glenwood Springs. "We have no estimate as to how long the highway will remain closed at this time.
The detour is long for anyone trying to drive across western Colorado Monday. Here are CDOT's suggested detour routes that take drivers to the north:
From westbound I-70: Exit at US 40/Empire to State Highway 13 and back to I-70; exit in Silverthorne and take State Highway 9 to US 40 and State Highway 13; exit at Wolcott/State Highway 131 to US 40 and State Highway 13.
From eastbound I-70: Exit at Rifle/State Highway 13 to US 40 and back to I-70.
U.S. Highway 50 is the main route to take to go around the closure on the south. Traveling west, take I-70 to U.S. Highway 24 south just west of Vail, or use U.S. Highway 285 south out of Denver. Get on U.S. 50 at Poncha Springs to Grand Junction. A snowstorm in southwestern Colorado makes the northern detour easier to travel Tuesday. Check weather conditions before traveling into the mountains.
25,000 vehicles use the stretch of I-70 through Glenwood Canyon each day. The closure has a significant economic impact since the detour adds 200 miles and several hours of travel for truckers and other motorists using this main east-west route through the western United States.
A rock slide on Thanksgiving Day in 2004 in the same area closed I-70 for a couple of days. Stegman says Monday's slide was bigger than that one.
Road crews completed blasting the giant rocks that sat on the highway Monday. They will continue work to remove debris from the Interstate, and then begin repairs. Gov. Bill Ritter issued a disaster declaration, requesting federal funds to help repair the serious damage caused by a rockslide which happened at around midnight Sunday night/Monday morning.
There was still no estimate Tuesday when the road might reopen to traffic.
Boulders the size of tractor trailers came crashing down onto the interstate early Monday, forcing the closure of a 17-mile stretch of the heavily-traveled highway just west of Hanging Lake Tunnel.
Colorado Department of Transportation spokeswoman Stacey Stegman said workers are drilling holes in the boulders to insert explosives and blast them into smaller pieces.
Stegman says approximately 20 boulders fell onto the interstate, ranging in size from three feet to 10 feet in diameter. The largest is estimated to weigh 66 tons.
Damage is substantial and the highway "is not expected to open anytime soon," officials said.
"The rocks have made holes in the elevated sections of roadway -- the largest being in the westbound lanes (closest to the hillside) and measuring 20 feet by 10 feet. Another hole in the lower eastbound lanes measures 6 feet by 6 feet," a CDOT statement said. "There are a half a dozen other holes and 'dips' in the roadway, as well as areas where rocks are embedded. Most of these repair areas appear to be approximately 5 feet by 5 feet."
The rock fall covers 100 years of roadway. It also damaged 120 feet of steel guard rail and 100 feet of median barrier.
No vehicles were damaged and no injuries were reported.
"Currently, the highway is closed between Dotsero and Glenwood Springs," Stegman said. The westbound side of the highway is closed at Dotsero, and eastbound is closed in Glenwood Springs. "We have no estimate as to how long the highway will remain closed at this time.
The detour is long for anyone trying to drive across western Colorado Monday. Here are CDOT's suggested detour routes that take drivers to the north:
From westbound I-70: Exit at US 40/Empire to State Highway 13 and back to I-70; exit in Silverthorne and take State Highway 9 to US 40 and State Highway 13; exit at Wolcott/State Highway 131 to US 40 and State Highway 13.
From eastbound I-70: Exit at Rifle/State Highway 13 to US 40 and back to I-70.
U.S. Highway 50 is the main route to take to go around the closure on the south. Traveling west, take I-70 to U.S. Highway 24 south just west of Vail, or use U.S. Highway 285 south out of Denver. Get on U.S. 50 at Poncha Springs to Grand Junction. A snowstorm in southwestern Colorado makes the northern detour easier to travel Tuesday. Check weather conditions before traveling into the mountains.
25,000 vehicles use the stretch of I-70 through Glenwood Canyon each day. The closure has a significant economic impact since the detour adds 200 miles and several hours of travel for truckers and other motorists using this main east-west route through the western United States.
A rock slide on Thanksgiving Day in 2004 in the same area closed I-70 for a couple of days. Stegman says Monday's slide was bigger than that one.
