MORRISON, Colo. (KDVR) — Continuous rain from last week continues to cause issues on our highways. Viewers reached out to the FOX31 Problem Solvers about a washed-out part of U.S. 285.
Driving into Morrison from the mountains on U.S. 285 northbound, motorists were greeted by a lane closure and cones after storm damage revealed itself overnight.
“It looks like falling off of the earth right there,” Tammy, a visitor from Pennsylvania, said. “Is that normal for Colorado?”
Colorado Department of Transportation said rain is to blame for the now missing part of the highway.
“Runoff after several days of heavy rain caused that washout into the embankment,” CDOT’s Presley Fowler said. “It’s steep. It’s going to be quite a process to be able to get machinery in there and crews in there.”
Fowler tells FOX31 the embankment, which is 40-45 degrees steep, calls for cones and berms as a temporary fix. However, CDOT is working on a bigger solution.
“There are situations like this where it’s above what our maintenance crews can do, so we have to get a contractor on board to be able to make permanent repairs,” Fowler said.
CDOT is working on plans and a date for the permanent fix, hoping to start work quickly. In the meantime, CDOT is telling motorists to expect the cones and lane closure around the embankment.