A huge rockfall caused by blasting works closed a highway located near Boulder, Colorado.
The rockslide occurred on September 11, 2019. The scheduled blast was supposed to take down about 305 m3. However, a massive 6115 m3 crashed down into the roadway. The purpose of the blasting works was to expand the road that is located in the foothills into the mountain so it can survive a major flood in the future.
The causes of the incident have not been identified yet and an investigation has been launched. Rainfalls during the last period may have affected the stability of the rocky slopes. "You’re dealing with Mother Nature. This is not an exact science. There are some theories right now...that because of rain and everything, that water may have expanded and made this worse. We don’t really know yet," Jared Fiel from Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT), stated.
Fortunately, the safety regulations during the blasting procedure were respected and no one was injured. Removing the rock fragments is challenging. Some of them are too large and additional blasting must be conducted to reduce their size.
Due to the fact that the canyon is very narrow, the number of workers and the amount of equipment that can be utilized in the site is limited. CDOT officials warned travelers to avoid the Boulder Canyon if possible but reroutes have been established.
The large boulders were crushed down overnight and the road was cleared enough for one lane to open the following day. "We thank everyone for their continued patience as we work through a technically complex effort. This work is important for keeping people safe when driving in mountain areas, but it’s difficult work and we know that it causes inconvenience for the traveling public during construction,” Shoshana Lew, CDOT Executive Director, stated.
According to CDOT officials, another rocky area was affected by the blast and is now prone to subsequent rockfalls. Therefore, it should also be broken down.
Sources: Denverpost, Dailycamera, KDVR
Colorado Highway 145 is closed "indefinitely" after being hit by two huge rock blocks. The inciden...
A rock boulder detached from a slope near a road hitting a car and killing its driver in New Zealan...
A roadway in British Columbia, Canada was closed after a mudslide struck north of Williams Lake Cit...
On June 8, 2019, a large part of a road suddenly collapsed into a building construction site in sou...
A massive rock boulder in Scotland may be part of the oldest rockfall ever found. The remains of ro...
Three hikers were reported dead after a rockfall incident in an Austrian canyon. The incident occur...
The Whitney Portal area closed to the public after being impacted by a co-seismic rockslide. On Jun...
A mudslide that struck in Telluride, a town in Colorado, trapped at least 40 people including motor...
A massive rockfall that struck a village in Alborz mountains, Iran, was caught on camera. Alborz mo...