Nearly 11.5 Million Pounds of Debris Removed From Colorado’s I-70

Breya Bergom |
Colorado, I-70 debris,
Colorado Governor Jared Polis with the Colorado Department of Transportation, working on I-70. PC: Colorado Department of Transportation via Facebook

Glenwood Canyon, Colorado, received some good news this past weekend. Crews on I-70 removed almost 11.5 million pounds of debris from the interstate.

As reported by Aspen Daily News, the interstate came into contact with the debris on July 29 and 30 around Mile Marker 123 through Glenwood Canyon. The Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT) crews cleared a significant amount of debris as a result of the good weather over the weekend, which allowed them to work on clearing mud “uninterrupted.”

An email from CDOT stated that the crews had removed “440 loads over the two days.” Every “load” or truck holds 26,000 pounds of material.

Crews cleared much debris from the east side of Glenwood Canyon, from Hanging Lake Tunnel to the east. Another 110 loads were cleared from Hanging Lake Tunnel to Bair Ranch on Sunday. On the west side of the canyon, the crews removed a large boulder.

While the crews accomplished a huge convenience for drivers on I-70, they are still cleaning drains and washing roadways. The crew also reduced the debris’ mud to achieve the solid ground of the interstate this week.

Colorado Governor, Jared Polis, requested an estimated $116 million from the federal government to put towards the debris flows and mudslides that led to I-70 being shut down. $40 million is planned to go to repairs and debris removal. $10 million of that would be used to refurbish alternate routes. CDOT predicts the project will take anywhere from 6 to 8 weeks to complete.

jared polis
Colorado Governor Jared Polis PC: Governor Jared Polis via Facebook

Related Articles

Got an opinion? Let us know...