Colorado Motorists Stranded After Mudslide Shutdown
What Was The Cause Of The Mudslide?
The transportation department has accounted for 108 people, including 29 in the tunnel, who was stuck on the highway overnight.
Glenwood Canyon has cliffs towering up to 2,000 feet above the Colorado River, making it prone to rockslides and
mudslides.
In recent weeks, rain over the area burned by a wildfire last summer has triggered frequent slides, resulting in
closures of I-70, Colorado’s main east-west highway.
Those closures have mostly occurred before the storm moves in, to prevent people from being trapped in heavy rain
has inundated the region over the past few days with frequent flash flood warnings.
On Thursday night, after a second flash warning for Glenwood Canyon, “mudslides and debris reached I-70 within a few
minutes,” CDOT said.
“Because the National Weather Service has placed this area back under a Flash Flood Watch, there is a limited window of time
to move all abandoned vehicles to safety,” the transportation department said in a news release.