Driving I-70 in Colorado is like an extreme sport

Rockslide that closed 17 miles of I-70 in Colorado on Monday
caused this damage in Glenwood Canyon.
Photo from The Daily Sentinenal

If you've ever driven I-70 through the Colorado Rockies, you know the beauty ... and danger ... of that area. This week's rock slide that sent huge boulders onto the roadway was just the latest in a long list of avalanches, rock slides, and wild animal sightings that make any drive through those majestic mountains an exciting event, to say the least.

I've not seen it better described than by Anna Basquez in How driving I-70 in Colorado is like an extreme sport who begins by saying:

I write this as a passenger in a car driving in the westbound lanes of Interstate 70 amid Colorado's steep, climbing Rocky Mountains. Between the dangerous rockslides, the avalanches, crossing deer and elk, and hazardous weather, including ice and fog, a typical traveler's destination -- winter sports -- won't be the first extreme mountain adventure of the day."

It's a major headache to have I-70 closed because the detour is 200 miles which adds up to four hours onto the trip. There is just no other way to go in those mountains except some dirt roads reminiscent of gold mining days:

I-70 is the main connection between the West Coast and Denver. It runs through the narrow canyon, following the path of the Colorado River, then climbs into ski country. After passing through the resort town of Vail, the road tops out at 11,000 feet before descending to Denver and connecting with the rest of the interstate highway system.
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In the meantime, motorists are advised to take a 200-mile detour through the northwestern part of the state.

Colorado's Gov. Bill Ritter moved quickly after the rockslide blocked 17 miles of interstate:

Gov. Bill Ritter issued a disaster declaration on Monday afternoon, allowing the state to seek funding from the Federal Highway Administration to help pay for repairs, which could take weeks. An initial estimate of repair costs has not been released.

Alternate routes for travelers are listed here.