KUSA – One lane of Interstate 70 reopened at 6 p.m. Sunday after a rockslide left it closed for multiple days through Glenwood Canyon, forcing drivers to take a 146-mile and roughly three-hour detour.
A pilot car led drivers through the canyon in each direction. Delays are expected to be about an hour.
A Colorado Department of Transportation spokesperson says crews plan to close the highway again at 9 a.m. on Monday. That closure will last until 4 p.m. Traffic will again be allowed through from 4 p.m. to 9 a.m.
This is expected to be the pattern for the next several days.
Eastbound I-70 traffic will be routed to one-lane starting at the Glenwood Springs exit, and the pilot car configuration starts at Grizzly Creek, according to CDOT.
The highway was expected to at least partially reopen on Thursday following Monday’s rock slide. That process was hindered by weather and difficult conditions.
Early, CDOT said one of the rocks that fell was the size of a passenger car.
Repairing the highway is expected to cost between $2 million and $5 million – a price tag that has CDOT considering a federal disaster declaration.
The following detours remain in place:
South detour:
• Option 1: US 50: Grand Junction to Pueblo (5 hours, 35minutes, 298mi.)
North detour:
• Option 1: North on CO-131 at Wolcott to Steamboat Springs. South on CO-13 to I-70 in Rifle.
• Option 2: US-50 at Grand Junction to US-285 at Poncha Springs to CO-470 (5h 43min. 311 mi.) West on US-40 to Craig.
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