Crews to Close I-70 at Fall River Road for Rockfall Mitigation

IDAHO SPRINGS—Starting the week of May 8, CDOT will begin rockfall mitigation on I-70 at Fall River Road, just west of Idaho Springs. Work is scheduled to continue through June.

Crews will be drilling the rock face from 7 a.m. - 7 p.m., Monday through Friday, to release air pockets and loosen rock. This work, which will allow for a more productive blast, will not require a lane closure and is safe for the traveling public to drive past.

Travel Impacts

  • Once a week, crews will need to blast the rock face to release loose rock, which will require a 20-minute full closure of eastbound and westbound I-70 from Fall River Road to Dumont to protect the safety of motorists and CDOT crews.
  • Crews will blast from 11 a.m. - 3 p.m., between Mondays and Thursdays, though they have not set specific dates as it's difficult to know when the rock face will be ready for detonation.
  • The full closure could result in 45-plus-minute traffic delays. If urgently needed, crews may need to blast the rock face more than once a week for motorists' safety.
  • CDOT will also close the frontage roads near the blasting site for additional safety precautions; these holds should be only 15 minutes or shorter.
  • Crews will know at least the night before when blasting will occur, and variable message signs along the interstate will be changed to reflect the upcoming closures.
  • Crews will not work the Friday before or the Monday after Memorial Day.

CDOT is conducting mitigation work in response to a minor rockslide that occurred on westbound I-70 at Fall River Road in early April. CDOT's geohazards team inspected the slide and determined that mitigation work is necessary to reduce the risk of a slide in the same area in the future.

CDOT asks the media to please reach out to either Stacia Sellers or Tamara Rollison before entering the closure so they can work to find a safe location for reporting.

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