A landslide that cascaded over part of U.S. 6 in Colorado’s mountains shut down Loveland Pass indefinitely on Sunday, and no reopening was in sight Monday, according to the Colorado Department of Transportation.
The mountain pass on U.S. 6 was covered at about 5:30 a.m. Sunday by a 100-foot-wide and 20-foot-deep landslide, CDOT officials said in a news release. The slide was caused by the dirt surrounding the highway mixing with melting snow.
U.S. 6 is closed between mile point 220 and mile point 229, according to CDOT. That’s roughly between Montezuma Road and Interstate 70.
It’s unknown when the highway will reopen, but CDOT officials said the cleanup with come in two stages.
The first stage will remove mud and silt from both lanes of U.S. 6, CDOT officials said in the release. Then, crews will assess the landslide to make sure it is stable and clean up the surrounding area.
This is the first landslide on Loveland Pass in 22 years, according to CDOT.
CDOT crews are escorting trucks carrying hazardous materials through the Eisenhower-Johnson Memorial Tunnels on I-70 at the top of every hour. Traffic will be held at that time for the trucks to drive through.
Hazmat vehicles are not normally allowed through the tunnels due to safety concerns, but they are escorted through the tunnel when Loveland Pass is closed, CDOT officials said.
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