'Mother Nature Has Final Say': CDOT Plans Ahead For Possibility Of Messy Summer In Glenwood Canyon
GLENWOOD CANYON, Colo. (CBS4)- Altogether, the state has spent $27 million working to get I-70 through Glenwood Canyon and the Colorado River back in shape following last year's massive mudslides after torrential downpours in the summer. Those mudslides ended up throwing around 206,000 tons of debris into the river and road, and crews are still working to get things back to a semblance of normal.
Crews are now preparing for another round of rainy weather this summer, and the frighteningly possible situation the road is flooded again with inches of mud.
CDOT Chief engineer Steve Harelson said in a news conference Tuesday afternoon he believes the worst has come and gone, but that does not mean the road is now safe from the weather.
"The first year or two is the worst... we're trying to do treatments to slow down the water coming down the canyon, which would decrease the mud that ends up on 70," Harelson explained.
Engineers have installed what they've called "bathtubs" along the road in especially dangerous spots to catch water and debris and have installed "super sacks" which are basically a wall of sandbags to try and block any debris that does come down the walls during a rainstorm.
Still, if Colorado is hit with the same intensity of storms that happened last summer, CDOT said there is nothing to be done but wait for it to finish and then try to rebuild again.
When asked how far repairs have come compared to the start of the whole process, CDOT's Executive Director Shoshana Lew didn't give a clear answer but said like any road they're responsible for, more work will be needed down the line. She did mention the majority of projects crews started last year and hoped to finish this spring have met their deadlines.