Monday, March 08, 2010

Colorado Rockslide

Oh, oh, the most-scenic portion of I-70 is blocked!:
The slide struck around midnight Sunday near Hanging Lake Tunnel in Glenwood Canyon, a deep, narrow chasm about 110 miles west of Denver, the Colorado Department of Transportation said.

No injuries or damage to vehicles were reported.

...Officials haven't determined how long the highway will be closed. Because of the rugged terrain, the shortest detour adds about 200 miles around the mountainous Flat Tops Wilderness Area.

The largest hole in the roadway was 10 feet by 20 feet. About 20 boulders ranging from three to 10 feet long were scattered on the highway, with the largest weighing 66 tons, officials said.

...A 1995 rock slide on I-70 in Glenwood Canyon killed three people.

A slide on Thanksgiving Day in 2004 closed the highway and required nearly $700,000 worth of repairs. No one was hurt because the highway had previously been closed for an unrelated crash.

The Union Pacific Railroad said its tracks through the canyon weren't affected. The tracks carry freight trains and Amtrak's California Zephyr.

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