Part Of Boulder County Highway Reopens After Rockslide

BOULDER COUNTY, CO — One lane of Colorado Highway 119 in Boulder Canyon is open following a planned blast that brought down massive rockfall on the road below. The blast, which was part of the CO 119 flood construction project, closed the roadway completely overnight when it sent approximately 8,000 cubic yards of rock — or the equivalent of 8,000 washing machines — down the side of the mountain.

Normally, a single blast bring down 400 cubic yards of rock, according to a Colorado Department of Transportation news release. In addition to this rockfall, CDOT officials found another area of rock loosened in the blast that will need to be blasted out to ensure the roadway is safe for regular traffic.

Crews worked overnight to remove rock from the roadway, but some of the rocks are so large, additional blasts will be required to break the rocks up before they can be hauled away, according to CDOT.

Due to safety protocols in place, no injuries were reported from the blast.

Currently, one lane of traffic is open to alternating traffic, KUSA-TV reports. The CDOT recommends using Colorado Highway 72 to bypass the area.