CDOT crews work through the night to get US 285/Poncha Pass reopened after mudslides

Crews were able to remove sections of the debris to clear the way for stuck cars.  Twenty vehicles in all were impacted.  Two vehicles were caught in the debris and sustained some damage, but all were able to drive out to a safe location.

The smallest slide area was about 100' long, and the largest was 800' long.  The depth of the debris, in the five different slide paths, measured between three to six feet deep in each location.  The smaller slides covered one lane, while the larger ones covered all three lanes, completely blocking traffic.  Crews had the highway reopened by 3:30 a.m. this morning.

TRAVEL IMPACTS: All lanes of travel are open.  The debris has been pushed off the highway and is delineated by cones as a safety measure.  Crews will continue to monitor the area as weather forecasters are calling for continued rain showers today.  Photos are posted on CDOT’s Media Room page at http://www.coloradodot.info/news/media-room.html

To receive real-time updates about state highway road conditions in your area, visit www.coloradodot.info and click on the green cell phone icon in the upper right hand corner of the page. Information about weekly lane closures will be available at www.coloradodot.info/travel/scheduled-lane-closures.html. Live road conditions are available at www.cotrip.org, by downloading the CDOT Mobile app or by calling 511 from anywhere in the state. Updates are also available via Twitter @coloradodot and be sure to “Like” our Facebook page at www.facebook.com/coloradodot.