Workers Bring Down Rocks On Red Mountain Pass
OURAY, Colo. (AP) - U.S. Highway 550 in southwestern Colorado should be closed for at least another couple of days as workers bring down rocks from the steep slopes above the road.
Crews are hoping to drop netting on the scree field on Red Mountain Pass Tuesday so they can bring down larger boulders. The Colorado Department of Transportation says progress with that could help determine when the highway connecting Ouray to Silverton will reopen.
The ongoing rock slide started Jan. 12. The Durango Herald reported that a giant slab about the size of a football field came loose and crumbled into smaller pieces.
It's unusual for slides to occur in the middle of the winter but the days have been unseasonably warm, setting up a freeze-thaw cycle that contributes to slides.
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