Reconstruction of Damaged Highway Completed
Reconstruction of a destroyed section of highway is completed in southwest Colorado. The emergency reconstruction work, which started in mid-June, cost $1.12 million and was completed within the scheduled nine-week time frame. The total cost included the initial emergency response, blasting of rock, temporary repairs and the permanent reconstruction of approximately 300 feet of highway.
Contractor, GeoStabilization International of Denver, CO, performed boulder blasting, rock downsizing and removed additional loose rock and debris from the slope. Contractor, Williams Construction of Norwood, CO, was hired to rebuild and reconstruct the highway.
CO 145 was not re-routed nor re-aligned. The highway maintained its original alignment. The reconstruction included:
- Widening of the road surface (by four feet) to allow for additional shoulder space
- Installation of new guardrail on the east side of the highway to ensure the safety and protection of passing vehicles from one the massive boulders that remains on the side of the road
- Construction of an embankment on the west side (slope-side) of the highway to catch any future potential mud or rock slides from reaching the highway
- Relocation of an existing utility fiber optic line
ROCK SLIDE BACKGROUND
On Friday, May 24, of Memorial Day weekend two house-sized boulders tumbled and plowed down the hillside from a ridge 1000 feet above CO 145 destroying a section of road. There were no injuries. One rock landed directly on the highway. Estimated at 1140 tons, the rock was blasted and the rubble removed from the roadway.
The second larger rock (called “Memorial Rock” by Colorado Governor, Jared Polis) weighed approximately 4400 tons. It rolled through both lanes, creating a 10- to 15-foot trench, and coming to rest on the opposite side of the highway. It remains where it landed.
