I-70 and US-40 near Idaho Springs were closed due to loose rocks Thursday
Hart Van Denburg/CPR NewsUpdated at 4:50 p.m. on Thursday, Aug. 25, 2023:
I-70 reopened around 4:43 p.m.
Our original story continues below.
Danger from loose rocks led the Colorado Department of Transportation to close a section of Interstate 70 near Idaho Springs on Thursday afternoon.
CDOT also had closed part of U.S. 40, which parallels I-70, but reopened that shortly after 4 p.m.
An agency spokeswoman didn’t know when I-70 would reopen.
The latest information is available at COtrip, the state’s real-time travel website. Google Maps showed traffic backing up for miles around the closure as of Thursday at 4 p.m.
CDOT closed the roads after blasting work that’s part of the massive expansion of I-70 at Floyd Hill, a steep climb near Idaho Springs that’s notorious for traffic backups.
Work crews noticed a rock slab coming loose over the highway and made the call to close the roads, “just in case any chunks of rock were to fall,” said CDOT’s Presley Fowler.
Attention reckless I-70 toll lane drivers: The sensors and cameras are here and the fines are coming
You care.
You want to know what is really going on these days, especially in Colorado. We can help you keep up. The Lookout is a free, daily email newsletter with news and happenings from all over Colorado. Sign up here and we will see you in the morning!
