RSSCDOT: No rock removal plans after I-70 rockslide
CDOT crews move a boulder that fell onto I-70 near Palisade Wednesday morning.
The Colorado Department of Transportation said there were no immediate plans for rockfall mitigation work after a slide which closed eastbound Interstate 70 near Palisade several hours this morning and injured three people.
“We’ve surveyed the area and there’s no apparent need (for removing loose rocks above traffic lanes),” CDOT spokeswoman Nancy Shanks said.
Some 25 to 30 rocks, most around 2 by 3 feet, tumbled down into eastbound traffic around 5:30 a.m., near milepost 46 and slammed two vehicles, according to Shanks and the Colorado State Patrol.
“The biggest (rock) was about the size of a refrigerator,” Shanks said.
One of the rocks collided with an eastbound Pontiac, while the driver was treated and released at a local hospital for minor injuries, Trooper Nate Reid said. An oncoming semi-tractor trailer collided with the Pontiac, which was before a GMC pickup truck was struck by another rock in roadway, injuring two, Reid said. Both occupants were transported to a hospital for minor injuries and were expected to be released this morning, Reid said.
Shanks said the left lane of eastbound traffic opened again by 7 a.m., while the right lane was cleared shortly after 9 a.m.
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