GLENWOOD CANYON, Colo. (KDVR) — The Colorado Department of Transportation has announced Monday that all road repairs on Interstate 70 in Glenwood Canyon are completed. Crews are now shifting their work to focus on removing material from the Colorado River.
After the Grizzly Creek Fire scorched over 32,000 acres of land in 2020 and caused burn-scar induced mudslides and flash floods, CDOT crews have worked continuously to clean and repair I-70.
In the next phase of the I-70 recovery, crews will remove large material plies from the river ahead of the spring run-off season. According to a CDOT news release, removing this material will significantly reduce the risk of spring flooding.
“Over the last several months, crews have worked hard to repair the roadway itself—including repairing damage to both westbound and eastbound structures at Blue Gulch and elsewhere. Now, the focus of the work turns to removing material from the Colorado River while continuing rockfall mitigation and other resiliency efforts to strengthen the area for the future,” said CDOT Executive Director Shoshana Lew.
CDOT said drivers should expect an eastbound lane closure between 8 a.m. and dusk Monday through Friday as crews haul material out of the river. The closure will primarily affect one mile between mile points 123.5 and 124.5.
CDOT also warns that one overnight closure may be needed as well as occasional impacts to both westbound and eastbound lanes as crews repair damaged rockfall fences.
The river recovery work is expected to last until April 2022. CDOT urges drivers to check COTrip for road conditions and impacts before heading through Glenwood Canyon.