CDOT says it's getting better at dealing with Glenwood Canyon mudslides
If you know Interstate 70 in western Colorado, you know Glenwood Canyon. If you know Glenwood Canyon, you know about mudslides.
Ever since the Grizzly Creek Fire in 2020, the Colorado Department of Transportation has been ever watchful for the cascading damaging rocks and mudslides that have the power to shut down the interstate for weeks at a time. Recently that has been a thing of the past, but little closures here and there remind us of the potential CDOT is working to hold back.
"The canyon and the burn scar areas are following a healing pattern that other burn areas have followed across the country," Matt Inzeo, CDOT Communications Director said. "That's a really positive sign"
Still not all mudslides are along the predicted burn scar areas. A slide just last week that closed the highway for a few hours came cascading down the canyon walls apart from the usual trouble areas, proving the stretch of canyon interstate is simply prone to flooding, regardless of the exacerbating consequences of the fire.
The key for CDOT has been minimizing the size of what comes down if they can help it. Rock fencing may have played a part in protecting the road from more damage, as well as protecting drivers from potentially dangerous situations.
"What we saw actually reached the road was pretty watery, pretty muddy," Inzeo said. "It really didn't have some of the bigger pieces of rock."
While CDOT has always trusted forecasters to help them warn drivers about potential hazards, it says the combined data from the years since the fire has helped them hone their warnings, keeping driver safety the priority but better understanding when and where they need to call in a closure.
"We're a lot more confident about what kind of storm that is going to cause a problem that typically would lead to something concerning," Inzeo said.
While the rainy Colorado summer on the front range brought plenty of moisture, it's the next few weeks that CDOT preparing for torrential downpours in what they call "monsoon season." Starting in October, Inzeo said it's time to start thinking about snow. Yes, we said it, feel free to gasp, we did while writing this. Sheesh, where does the time go?
