Community Corner

Boulder That Crushed Colorado Highway Becomes Tourist Attraction

Many people have been driving along Highway 145 just to see the 8.5 million pound rock.

Tourists have been flocking to see massive boulder that destroyed a section of Highway 145.
Tourists have been flocking to see massive boulder that destroyed a section of Highway 145. ((Image via CDOT/City of Ouray)

Curious tourists have been making their way to southwest Colorado to see a massive boulder that crushed a section of Highway 145. The 8.5-million-pound rock tumbled from a ridge 2,000 feet above the roadway on Memorial Day weekend.

The boulder, which is the size of a two-story building, didn't roll down alone — another smaller boulder also came down with it and carved a deep trench through the highway. The smaller rock was blasted and its debris was cleared.

Dubbed 'Memorial Rock' by Gov. Jared Polis, in honor of the weekend when it fell, the boulder is set to become a landmark designation.

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But the tourist infrastructure isn't in place to support onlookers just yet — many have been stopping in the construction zone to catch a glimpse, and causing traffic headaches, according to the Colorado Department of Transportation. CDOT officials are asking drivers to keep going, for the safety of construction workers and other drivers.

Clean-up around the new landmark boulder on Highway 145 is expected to be finished by early July, officials said.

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