[leadin]If you’re already a nervous mountain driver, you might want to stop reading now.[/leadin]
The Colorado Department of Transportation posted these photos showing a couple big boulders sitting on the highway after they fell from the cliffs above.
“These are some of the boulders that came down on I-70 in Glenwood Canyon earlier this morning near Hanging Lake Tunnel (mile point 124),” posted CDOT. “Our maintenance crews will need to use the ‘boulder buster’ in order to remove them. The GeoHazards team has been mobilized to evaluate the slope.”
Nobody was hurt in the rockfall.
According to CoTrip.org, which monitors roadways in Colorado, the right lane of the highway is closed in each direction due to rocks, with no estimated time of reopening.
Interstate 70 through Glenwood Canyon is the site of frequent rockfall incidents. The road was closed in 2013 when a boulder the size of a car fell on the highway, and previously in 2010, when a similar incident required major repairs of the roadway.
The highway running through Glenwood Canyon is visually stunning, surrounded by thousand-foot cliffs. But as thawing takes place in the spring and warm spells in the winter, rockfall can be a problem. Temps have risen near 50º F this week in Glenwood Springs, causing a freeze-thaw cycle that can release rocks.
Travelers in the area can visit www.cotrip.org for updates.
