PALISADE, Colo. (AP) - Mesa County engineers say a rebuilt highway between Palisade and East Orchard Mesa is safe, even though portions of the highway began shifting and a retaining wall had to be built to keeping asphalt from sliding down a hill.
The $2.1 million project was hailed as a significant improvement in safety for motorists and bicyclists alike when it was dedicated earlier this month. By then, the hill had already begun moving, opening up several large cracks in the fresh asphalt.
According to the Grand Junction Daily Sentinel, the wall is sinking and pulling the road with it. Several fissures have developed in the blacktop and the road has separated in places from the concrete curb.
Contractors are now working around the clock to fix the problem.
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