Rockslide slams into intersection of two Colorado highways
A rockslide occurred above an intersection of two highways. Colorado’s Department of Transportation closed portions of the roads.
A major rockslide prompted two highways to be shut down in Colorado over the weekend and witnesses captured the frightening moment on video.
Highways 96 and 165 from Wetmore to Westcliffe in Colorado’s Custer County were closed for the public Sunday evening after actively falling rocks made the roads unsafe for traffic, Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT) said in a travel advisory Sunday, adding the “area is unsafe to begin any mitigation.”
As of Thursday, CO-165 has been opened for all traffic, while parts of CO-96 remain “closed for rockslide clean up, according to COtrip.org. No injuries were reported from the incident, CDOT spokesperson Amber Shipley told USA TODAY Thursday.
Video footage of the rockslide shows the rocks tumbling down along with parts of mountain onto the road in a cloud of dust. The video was recorded by Sierra Wright, who told Storyful she made the video after she and friend pulled over on the side of the road.
Watch the terrifying rockslide.
Following the rockslide, CDOT closed parts of two highways while crews assessed the slide and ridgeline “to determine stability and clean-up efforts.” The agency advised travelers to seek alternate routes.
Shipley said the landslide may have been triggered by “significant snowfall” in the area recently.
“Water and snowmelt seeps into the soil and rock (and) combined with the natural freeze/thaw cycle causes increased pressure in existing underground cracks and voids which can weaken the slope – which is what commonly happens on hillsides/mountains along Colorado roadways,” Shipley told USA TODAY over email.
Jay Temple, a geologist with the Colorado Geological Survey, in a recorded briefing according to Colorado Public Radio, said the incident occurred “on a major fault zone.”
CDOT advises drivers to check latest road conditions on COtrip.org or on the COtrip Planner app before making any trips.
This story was updated to add more information.
Saman Shafiq is a trending news reporter for USA TODAY. Reach her at [email protected] and follow her on X and Instagram @saman_shafiq7.
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Publish date : 2025-01-02 03:18:00
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