GLENWOOD SPRINGS, Colo. – Both directions of Interstate 70 through Glenwood Canyon reopened to traffic Monday evening after a second mudslide in the Grizzly Creek Fire burn scar Sunday shut the interstate down for 24 hours.
The highway was shut down twice over the weekend after two separate mudslides washed over the road, Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT) officials said during a news conference Monday afternoon. The eastbound lanes of I-70 reopened from Sunday's slide by 3:30 p.m. Monday
“It’s soup,” said Fred Cummings, CDOT’s maintenance deputy superintendent, referring to the the mud-like texture that washed over both directions of I-70 through the canyon both Saturday and Sunday. “It’s hard to contain and it’s hard to clean up.”
CDOT warned closures could happen again if rain continues in the mountains, which is forecast for the next several days.
CDOT said crews encountered delays Monday, “largely due to a clogged drain on the eastbound deck,” officials said in a news release prior to the media call.
A three-hour long detour was in place both occasions over the weekend.
On Saturday, a 70-foot-wide mudslide from the Grizzly Creek Fire burn scar buried the highway near No Name, closing both directions of the interstate for at least six hours. And on Sunday, heavy rain caused another slide in the same location.
No injuries from the mudslides have been reported.
