I-70 Closure next week
- Thread starter jimmnn
- Start date
- Status
I was reading on CDOT, and things will start getting plugged up even sooner due to materials delivery, etc. Sounds like they've got a heck of a lot of work to do out there. Shame there's no safe place from which to watch.
-------------------------------------
March 25, 2011 - TRAFFIC ADVISORY - Central Eastern Colorado/CDOT Region 1 - CLEAR CREEK COUNTY – As part of the current rockfall mitigation project on Interstate 70, the Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT) will be stopping traffic on Interstate 70 at Georgetown Hill on Tuesday, March 29, to allow the safe delivery of materials to areas above the highway.
Beginning at about 10:30 a.m., drivers can expect traffic stops up to 20 minutes on eastbound and westbound I-70. Westbound traffic will be stopped at the Georgetown Interchange (Exit 228); eastbound traffic at the Silver Plume Interchange (Exit 226).
CDOT expects to stop traffic a few times over a three to four hour period, with the stops concluding by mid-afternoon.
At all other times, Monday through Thursday, from 10:30 a.m. to sundown, a right lane closure is in place on westbound I-70, at Georgetown Hill, and along the one-mile segment from the west end of Idaho Springs to the Fall River Road Interchange. Drivers should anticipate some slowing through the area while traffic is reduced to one lane for rockfall fence and guardrail work. All work is weather permitting.
TRAFFIC ADVISORY
Major Closure of I-70 at Georgetown Next Week for Rock Removal
CLEAR CREEK COUNTY – The Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT) will close both directions of Interstate 70 at Georgetown Hill for one or two days next week for a large-scale rock removal operation.
Beginning at 9 a.m. on Tuesday, April 5, eastbound and westbound I-70 will be closed to through traffic between the U.S. 40/Empire (Exit 232) and Silverthorne (Exit 205) interchanges, allowing crews to safely bring down a large, unstable cluster of boulders located on the slope above the highway. Local traffic between Empire Junction and Georgetown (westbound) and between Silverthorne and Silver Plume (eastbound) still will be allowed to travel I-70 up to the closure points, closer to the rockfall site. Due the number of boulders that need to be removed, the highway is expected to remain closed until 5 p.m.
“We know this closure will have major impacts but the safety of the traveling public is always our first priority. These boulders have the potential to come down on their own and we need to remove them before that happens,” says CDOT Regional Transportation Director Tony DeVito. “The highway has to be closed for this work but unfortunately we won’t know exactly how long it’s going to take until the work actually begins. Each layer of rock we remove will give us more information on what remains behind it that may also need to be addressed. ”
If the mitigation is not completed on Tuesday, CDOT will need to close I-70 again from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Wednesday, April 6. In addition, CDOT may need to also repair any fencing or netting that is damaged from the falling rock and debris.
“When you’re dealing with weathered and deteriorated slope conditions and wedged rocks, there is little predicatability on “when” and “where exactly” the rocks will travel,” adds DeVito, “We absolutely cannot allow traffic to travel on Georgetown Hill while the work is occurring since falling rock could reach the roadway and break apart even further.”
CDOT, in coordination with the Georgetown Police Department, is asking residents who live below the potential path areas to evacuate their homes while removal operations are taking place for their safety. There are about five homes that have been identified as being in the area where rocks have the potential to land.
While I-70 is closed, the primary detour routes between the Front Range and the Western Slope are:
· I-70 to U.S. 40 (Empire Junction), U.S. 40 west over Berthoud Pass to Kremmling, and State Highway 9 south to I-70 in Silverthorne (73 miles)
· U.S. 285 southwest to Fairplay, State Highway 9 north over Hoosier Pass to I-70 in Frisco (101 miles)
“There’s never a good time to have a full closure of I-70, especially during the daytime, but we need to get this done now because it’s the time of year we experience the recurring freeze and thaw along with those wet snows that make the mountainous areas more susceptible to rockfall,” says DeVito. “We cannot delay this…we would rather be proactive and bring this hazard down in a controlled method than be reactive. We will not risk public safety.”
For text and/or e-mail alerts about the project, and while work is underway, please visit Major Closure of I-70 at Georgetown Next Week for Rock Removal — CDOT and click on the cell-phone icon in the upper right-hand corner. A link takes you to a list of items you can subscribe to, including I-70 West, Denver to Glenwood Springs. Updates also will be available by calling 511 or checking the Web site: Major Closure of I-70 at Georgetown Next Week for Rock Removal — CDOT
###
Project Questions
How large are the boulders that need to be removed?
The boulders measure from two feet in diameter, up to 16 feet long, 8 feet wide and 8 feet high – about the size of a pick-up truck.
How many boulders need to be removed?
CDOT estimates about 40 boulders. However, as rocks are removed, it may reveal the need for additional rock removal.
How will the boulders be broken apart?
Crews will use a device, known as a Boulder Buster, that can split large boulders without the flyrock and noise produced by explosives. It uses a cartridge resembling a shotgun shell and a column of liquid to generate a high-impulse pressure wave. The pressure wave then fractures the surrounding structure. It is not rated as an explosive.
How high up on the slope is the cluster of boulders?
It is located about 300 feet above I-70.
Why can’t this work be done at night?
Daylight is required to remove boulders. Crews need to be able to clearly see the operation and evaluate the slope for safety before reopening the highway to traffic.
Will the highway be closed for a full eight hours?
At this point, CDOT can’t be certain an eight hour closure will be necessary each day but it is the best estimate at this time. The nature of the work is unpredictable but more information will become available as the operation proceeds, allowing CDOT to send out updates on how the work is progressing.
Why is Georgetown Hill considered such a hazardous rockfall area?
CDOT’s rockfall hazard rating system identifies and rates over 750 cut slope rockfall sites throughout the state using a combination of slope measurements, traffic data and geology. Georgetown Hill is divided into 15 distinct cut slopes. However, the majority of rockfall that usually impacts traffic comes from far above the cut area and up to 1,800 feet above the highway. In addition, Georgetown Hill is the most highly-traveled, identified rockfall area in Colorado, with an average of 30,000 vehicles traveling through the area each day.
How long has CDOT been doing rock mitigation on Georgetown Hill?
More than 10 years.
How much has been spent on Georgetown Hill rockfall mitigation projects in recent years?
Between $8 and $9 million since 2006.
Major Closure of I-70 at Georgetown Next Week for Rock Removal
CLEAR CREEK COUNTY – The Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT) will close both directions of Interstate 70 at Georgetown Hill for one or two days next week for a large-scale rock removal operation.
Beginning at 9 a.m. on Tuesday, April 5, eastbound and westbound I-70 will be closed to through traffic between the U.S. 40/Empire (Exit 232) and Silverthorne (Exit 205) interchanges, allowing crews to safely bring down a large, unstable cluster of boulders located on the slope above the highway. Local traffic between Empire Junction and Georgetown (westbound) and between Silverthorne and Silver Plume (eastbound) still will be allowed to travel I-70 up to the closure points, closer to the rockfall site. Due the number of boulders that need to be removed, the highway is expected to remain closed until 5 p.m.
“We know this closure will have major impacts but the safety of the traveling public is always our first priority. These boulders have the potential to come down on their own and we need to remove them before that happens,” says CDOT Regional Transportation Director Tony DeVito. “The highway has to be closed for this work but unfortunately we won’t know exactly how long it’s going to take until the work actually begins. Each layer of rock we remove will give us more information on what remains behind it that may also need to be addressed. ”
If the mitigation is not completed on Tuesday, CDOT will need to close I-70 again from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Wednesday, April 6. In addition, CDOT may need to also repair any fencing or netting that is damaged from the falling rock and debris.
“When you’re dealing with weathered and deteriorated slope conditions and wedged rocks, there is little predicatability on “when” and “where exactly” the rocks will travel,” adds DeVito, “We absolutely cannot allow traffic to travel on Georgetown Hill while the work is occurring since falling rock could reach the roadway and break apart even further.”
CDOT, in coordination with the Georgetown Police Department, is asking residents who live below the potential path areas to evacuate their homes while removal operations are taking place for their safety. There are about five homes that have been identified as being in the area where rocks have the potential to land.
While I-70 is closed, the primary detour routes between the Front Range and the Western Slope are:
· I-70 to U.S. 40 (Empire Junction), U.S. 40 west over Berthoud Pass to Kremmling, and State Highway 9 south to I-70 in Silverthorne (73 miles)
· U.S. 285 southwest to Fairplay, State Highway 9 north over Hoosier Pass to I-70 in Frisco (101 miles)
“There’s never a good time to have a full closure of I-70, especially during the daytime, but we need to get this done now because it’s the time of year we experience the recurring freeze and thaw along with those wet snows that make the mountainous areas more susceptible to rockfall,” says DeVito. “We cannot delay this…we would rather be proactive and bring this hazard down in a controlled method than be reactive. We will not risk public safety.”
For text and/or e-mail alerts about the project, and while work is underway, please visit Major Closure of I-70 at Georgetown Next Week for Rock Removal — CDOT and click on the cell-phone icon in the upper right-hand corner. A link takes you to a list of items you can subscribe to, including I-70 West, Denver to Glenwood Springs. Updates also will be available by calling 511 or checking the Web site: Major Closure of I-70 at Georgetown Next Week for Rock Removal — CDOT
###
Project Questions
How large are the boulders that need to be removed?
The boulders measure from two feet in diameter, up to 16 feet long, 8 feet wide and 8 feet high – about the size of a pick-up truck.
How many boulders need to be removed?
CDOT estimates about 40 boulders. However, as rocks are removed, it may reveal the need for additional rock removal.
How will the boulders be broken apart?
Crews will use a device, known as a Boulder Buster, that can split large boulders without the flyrock and noise produced by explosives. It uses a cartridge resembling a shotgun shell and a column of liquid to generate a high-impulse pressure wave. The pressure wave then fractures the surrounding structure. It is not rated as an explosive.
How high up on the slope is the cluster of boulders?
It is located about 300 feet above I-70.
Why can’t this work be done at night?
Daylight is required to remove boulders. Crews need to be able to clearly see the operation and evaluate the slope for safety before reopening the highway to traffic.
Will the highway be closed for a full eight hours?
At this point, CDOT can’t be certain an eight hour closure will be necessary each day but it is the best estimate at this time. The nature of the work is unpredictable but more information will become available as the operation proceeds, allowing CDOT to send out updates on how the work is progressing.
Why is Georgetown Hill considered such a hazardous rockfall area?
CDOT’s rockfall hazard rating system identifies and rates over 750 cut slope rockfall sites throughout the state using a combination of slope measurements, traffic data and geology. Georgetown Hill is divided into 15 distinct cut slopes. However, the majority of rockfall that usually impacts traffic comes from far above the cut area and up to 1,800 feet above the highway. In addition, Georgetown Hill is the most highly-traveled, identified rockfall area in Colorado, with an average of 30,000 vehicles traveling through the area each day.
How long has CDOT been doing rock mitigation on Georgetown Hill?
More than 10 years.
How much has been spent on Georgetown Hill rockfall mitigation projects in recent years?
Between $8 and $9 million since 2006.
Just as an aside, since a lot of traffic will be routed through Empire, be advised that it's an infamous local speed trap.
Update from CDOT
CDOT has completed today’s mitigation work and has reopened I-70 at Georgetown Hill, allowing through traffic to travel I-70 between Empire Junction (U.S. 40) and Silverthorne.
The good news is that today, CDOT was able to remove all of the rocks and boulders that were considered an immediate threat to come loose and downslope to Interstate 70. However, a number of large boulders remain on the slope and warrant further examination in the future. Engineers will be exploring an anchor system to further stabilize these remaining boulders if a solid anchoring area is available. CDOT then will design this anchor system in the next couple of weeks. If, however, a solid section of slope is NOT available at this site for anchoring, another lengthy closure of I-70 may be necessary in the near future to bring down these remaining boulders.
In addition, a lower rockfall net needs to be installed as a rock damaged the existing one. That work will take place over the next couple of weeks, requiring additional lane closure and traffic stops.
Tomorrow, Wednesday, April 6, the highway will REMAIN OPEN. However, traffic stops up to 20 minutes, from 10:30 a.m. until dark, can be expected as remaining clean-up work takes place.
Today, traffic has remained light on I-70 between Denver and Empire Junction and on eastbound I-70 to Silverthorne. The detour route via Berthoud Pass (U.S. 40 and State Highway 9) has moved well. Traffic also moved smoothly today on the southern detour route via U.S. 285 and State Highway 9. Hoosier Pass was blocked earlier by a semi accident but it has been cleared and Highway 9 is open to traffic.
CDOT has completed today’s mitigation work and has reopened I-70 at Georgetown Hill, allowing through traffic to travel I-70 between Empire Junction (U.S. 40) and Silverthorne.
The good news is that today, CDOT was able to remove all of the rocks and boulders that were considered an immediate threat to come loose and downslope to Interstate 70. However, a number of large boulders remain on the slope and warrant further examination in the future. Engineers will be exploring an anchor system to further stabilize these remaining boulders if a solid anchoring area is available. CDOT then will design this anchor system in the next couple of weeks. If, however, a solid section of slope is NOT available at this site for anchoring, another lengthy closure of I-70 may be necessary in the near future to bring down these remaining boulders.
In addition, a lower rockfall net needs to be installed as a rock damaged the existing one. That work will take place over the next couple of weeks, requiring additional lane closure and traffic stops.
Tomorrow, Wednesday, April 6, the highway will REMAIN OPEN. However, traffic stops up to 20 minutes, from 10:30 a.m. until dark, can be expected as remaining clean-up work takes place.
Today, traffic has remained light on I-70 between Denver and Empire Junction and on eastbound I-70 to Silverthorne. The detour route via Berthoud Pass (U.S. 40 and State Highway 9) has moved well. Traffic also moved smoothly today on the southern detour route via U.S. 285 and State Highway 9. Hoosier Pass was blocked earlier by a semi accident but it has been cleared and Highway 9 is open to traffic.
- Status
Similar threads
