The
Colorado Department of Transportation has done a nice job of keeping everyone informed on the closure of I-70 due to
a rockfall in Glenwood Canyon. Its weeks like this that I think it would be interesting to work for their geoHazards group. As of earlier today they were waiting on the removal of a 20 foot boulder up on the hill that is in danger of possibly falling about 900 feet to the interstate below, further damaging the road. The CDOT had a helicopter on scene this morning to drop off drilling equipment and a generator for the planned drilling/blasting operations. I appreciate the fact that they have been posting pictures of the whole process on
tweet photo, which I find rather interesting.
Sadly today, another rockfall on the road drivers have been diverted to, killed a woman near Steamboat Springs [
link]. Rockfalls had not occurred in the area since 1998. In the Glenwood Canyon area the last significant rockfall was in 2004.
For now you can watch the clean up work live streaming on the CDOT website by clicking on the Glenwood Springs link
here.
pictures © CDOT, text by ReBecca K. Hunt-Foster
4 comments:
OK, THAT is amazing and appalling. I believe I'll drive in the flatlands for a while....
Pretty freaky eh?! I have driven over that spot so many times too! I think I will stay out of the rock fall areas myself till everything is finished with its freeze/thaw for the spring ;)
I feel pretty lucky that raquetball-sized chunk of granite only messed up my bumper a few weeks back in Ute Pass. Saw it ahead of me when it was still 8-10 feet off the ground and just thought "this won't be good"... Blam!
If I were just a bit faster, it would have come through my windshield...
Yikes Anthony! That is scary! Glad you are ok.
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