I-70 Through Glenwood Canyon Closed Both Ways Saturday After Threats Of Flash Flooding




Updated on July 24 at 4:10 p.m.
Interstate 70 through Glenwood Canyon fully has closed again in both directions. The National Weather Service also issued a flash flood warning in the Grizzly Creek burn scar area until 6:30 p.m.
🚫 UPDATE🚫 – 3:45 p.m. (7/24) – CDOT has implemented a safety closure for I-70 Glenwood Canyon from mile point 116/Glenwood Springs to Exit 133/Dotsero. Additional closure points for all traffic are EB Exit 109 (Canyon Creek) and Exit 87 (W.Rifle).
— Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT) (@ColoradoDOT) July 24, 2021
Our original story follows below.
Interstate 70 was closed in both directions through Glenwood Canyon for most of Friday. Colorado Department of Transportation said the potential for flash flooding is too high.
The highway was completely shut down between Rifle and Dotsero. There is no estimate for when CDOT will lift the closure. Local traffic is allowed eastbound past the Canyon Creek exit, but drivers should expect delays as crews work to keep the road clear. Flooding and debris near the Grizzly Creek burn scar blocked the highway Thursday night.
Officials also closed I-70 on Tuesday due to flooding, which destroyed five buildings northwest of Fort Collins. One woman died after floodwater swept through the Poudre Canyon, and rescuers are still searching for three other adults who are missing.
#I70 eastbound/westbound: Road closed between Exit 114 - West Glenwood and Exit 133 - Dotsero. Update: remains closed due to ongoing slide cleanup. No est. reopen time. Alt route: Hwy 13/US 40/Hwy 9. https://t.co/wgSwi56zzj
— Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT) (@ColoradoDOT) July 23, 2021
State Highway 125 is also temporarily closed because of slides between Trail Creek and Willowcreek Pass. CDOT says there is no estimated reopening time for that route, either.
#CO125 northbound/southbound: Safety closure between Trail Creek and County Road 54. Update: remains closed due to ongoing slide cleanup. No est. reopen time. Alt route: US 40/Hwy 14. https://t.co/DkKDOszeU3
— Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT) (@ColoradoDOT) July 23, 2021
Many of the slides that have forced closures in recent weeks have happened near areas burned by wildfires. Those burn scars are more susceptible to flash flooding in the two years following a fire, and these scorch marks are likely to get bigger and more common in the coming years. Forest fires are expected to become larger and more unpredictable due to the drier and hotter conditions spurred on by human-caused climate change.
Even a small amount of rain could be enough for debris from a burn scar to flow downstream and cause damage to homes and campsites. Tuesday's flooding in Poudre Canyon was triggered by just an inch of rain that fell within half an hour.
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