News - Local
Workers breaking up boulder threatening I-70
Posted: Mar 10, 2010 10:30 AM by Bea Karnes, News First 5
Workers are breaking up a huge boulder threatening to tumble down a cliff onto Interstate 70 in western Colorado after a rock slide that closed the highway indefinitely. State officials say they hope to dislodge the boulder on Wednesday.
After that, they'll decide how soon at least some lanes can reopen.
The boulder is 20 feet in diameter and 900 feet above the highway. Workers will break it apart with compressor-powered drills hauled to the site by helicopter.
A 17-mile stretch of I-70 has been closed since Monday after a rock slide rained boulders onto the road and punched gaping holes in an elevated section. No one was hurt and no vehicles were damaged.
The shortest detour is more than 200 miles long.
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