Two significant mudslides closed I-70 between Glenwood Springs and Wolcott, CO at 1.30 pm Friday afternoon, creating mayhem for the afternoon commute while CDOT drained water and cleared mud from the lanes.
According to Colorado State Patrol Trooper Gary Cutler, a “mudslide with rocks in it” occurred at MM 110 westbound along I-70 at around 2:25 p.m. Friday.
Traffic began flowing again at about 2 am Saturday after crews cleared the mudslides that came down in South Canyon.
Colorado Department of Transportation maintenance personnel reported that one mudslide covered approximately 200 feet of highway, while the second slide covered more than 1,000 feet of roadway, with some areas of the slide measured three feet deep. The center lane concrete barrier helped contain the slides to the westbound lanes, reports the Aspen Times.
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Twenty-five CDOT personnel were on the scene for traffic control and clean up operations. Two loaders, two plows, a highway broom, and four pumps were used to clear the wet, heavy mud from the interstate. Heavy rain caused the slides.
Wolcott is east of Glenwood, east of Glenwood Canyon. The photos in this article are west of Glenwood.