What the locals know, (and the visitors ought to).
Truly the best source of information on an area is usually from those who live there.
Visitor's Guide to the Colorado Rockies will tell you where to find the good powder, the
best deals, the most fun, the best bars and restaurants, and more. Everything you need to
know to make your vacation in Colorado's Ski Country an unforgettable experience.
CME has open Aspen to Eagle seats and open Aspen to Denver seats. Book Now!
Open: I-70 1 lane each direction, 14-foot width restriction, Glenwood Cyn, call 511 or go to cotrip.org
CME vans are heading to Eagle airport right now to bring CME guests back to Glenwood Springs, Carbondale, Basalt, Snowmass Village and Aspen!!
We have opened availability on Denver and Eagle airport shuttles for travel to Aspen. Due to potential lane closures and construction, there WILL be delays traveling through Glenwood Canyon. We recommend that guests take the earlier scheduled shuttle to allow for delays. We have extended the 4:30A Aspen/Snowmass departure as an every day departure until March 21. It is crucial that we have guest contact telephone number.
Call our reservation line 1.800.525.6363 to book transfers NOW!
CDOT
Maintenance crews began clearing snow in the canyon early this morning
and are now beginning work to make the repairs necessary to open a
single lane of traffic in each direction today. They are clearing rock
debris from all lanes (the blast brought down some dozen larger
boulders (4 feet) and many smaller rocks), making repairs to the
drainage system and completing roadway patching in numerous places.
Crews have already set up traffic control cones/barrels and signage on
the Interstate so that when repairs are complete, the highway can open
quickly. We will send notice as soon as a re-open time is set today.
UPDATE: 8:10 PM, MARCH 10, 2010
Our
geologists returned from the rock mitigation site safely and were very
satisfied with the work that was accomplished today. With the blasting,
there was a clean break of the rock from the slope and all of the rocks
we were concerned about were knocked down. As a result, mitigation work
will not be required tomorrow. Since the blasting brought down
additional rock, crews will have some cleanup work tomorrow along with
drainage work and final pavement repair. The good news is that one lane
of eastbound and westbound I-70 will reopen by the end of the day
tomorrow. We will keep you posted as we get close to a reopening time.
UPDATE: 6:30 PM, MARCH 10, 2010
Crews
blasted the large rock just before 6 PM. CDOT maintenance crews
immediately began work to clear the debris on the highway. They have
worked throughout the day making the repairs necessary to open a lane
of traffic in each direction when rockfall mitigation is complete.
Since we lost daylight, the highway will not open tonight. Crews will
hike to the site tomorrow morning to conduct follow-up rock scaling and
assess the stability. CDOT will make every effort to get some portion
of the Interstate open to traffic tomorrow, March 11. Be assured we
will send an update as soon as we begin any procedures to open a lane.
Please call into Reservations to find out Alternate Routes CME is offering.
CME guests please call our reservations line at
1-800-525-6363 for more information in regards to alternate services we are providing to/from Roaring Fork Valley due to the rock slide on I-70.
I-70 UPDATE: 2:50 PM, MARCH 10, 2010
Crews
are working through the slow, technical process of drilling the rock
and prepping the area for blasting operations—it is estimated that this
will take until 4 or 4:30 PM. After this time, we will send notice of
blasting results, clean-up work required, and the follow-up
process/estimated schedule for getting traffic flowing again.
The helicopter is on scene—ready to drop off drilling equipment and a generator for planned drilling/blasting operations. If all goes well, crews anticipate bringing the boulder down early afternoon. When the boulder is down, the hillside scaled and stabilized, and any resulting highway damage is assessed, we can begin to send information regarding estimated highway re-open times. We will send notice as soon as the boulder is down.
UPDATE: 10 PM, MARCH 9, 2010 A team of six hiked up 900 feet on the mountainside today and conducted rock scaling operations (removing loose rock material with pry bars and other equipment) until approximately 5:30 p.m. They were able to safely access the unstable rock needing to be brought down. Losing daylight, crews attempted to pry sections loose and locate areas in which to effectively place and then charge explosives, but were unable to do so. Tomorrow, March 10th, crews will hike up to the location once again and drilling and other equipment will be airlifted by helicopter to the site. Drilling and blasting as well as other mitigation efforts will be used to bring down the rock. Due the challenging nature of the project, it is difficult to estimate when the mitigation work will be complete and when I-70 may reopen. Should the rock be brought down successfully, causing minimum damage to the highway, crews could then begin repairs to the eastbound lanes in preparation of opening one lane in each direction using the eastbound lanes. Please note that the process to reopen the Interstate is dependent upon the completion of the mitigation work. An update will be sent mid-morning on March 10th.
The recent rockslide on I-70 in Glenwood Canyon has temporarily limited access to Aspen/Snowmass from the east via the interstate; however travelers still have many options to get to the resort via air and ground routes. Crews are working on the highway now and could reopen two lanes within a day or two. Colorado Department of Transportation will be providing updates frequently as they make progress on reopening the route. Please check the C-DOT website for the latest conditions.
More than half of the winter visitors to Aspen/Snowmass arrive directly into Aspen/Pitkin County Airport (ASE) and are unaffected by the incident. Travelers coming to the resort through Denver International Airport, Eagle County Airport or via I-70 from the east have many options.
Air Access
Currently there are seats available on flights into Aspen/Pitkin County Airport. Air travelers can reroute their flight or add a leg by contacting their airline or travel agent. Travelers who had planned to drive from Denver can book seats on these flights directly in to the resort, and arrive just three miles from downtown Aspen and six miles form Snowmass Village. Most hotels in the resort have free transportation to and from the airport. Visitors can also reroute flights into the following airports:
Grand Junction Walker Field (GJT): 124 miles from ASE (2 hours via I-70 west), served by American, Delta, United, U.S. Air & Allegiant
Montrose County Airport (MTJ): 135 miles from ASE (3 hours over McClure Pass), served by American, Continental, Delta & United
Yampa Valley Regional Airport (HDN): 174 miles from ASE (3 hours via Rifle/Craig), served by American, Continental, Delta & United
Gunnison County Airport (GUC): 199 miles from ASE (4 ½ hours via Montrose), served by American, Delta & United
Ground Access
Access to Aspen/Snowmass is still possible from both the east and west via shuttle services, rental cars and Amtrak. The trip is currently six hours from Eagle (287 miles) and seven and a half hours form Denver (379 miles).
Amtrak runs regularly scheduled train service from Denver’s Union Station to Glenwood Springs (only 45 minutes from Aspen/Snowmass). Trains depart daily at 8:05 a.m. and arrive in Glenwood at 1:53 p.m. and tickets are just $39 one way. The daily train from Glenwood to Denver departs at 12:50 p.m. and arrives in Denver at 7:18 p.m. There are shuttle services, taxi, rental cars and public bus options available for the 40 mile trip between Glenwood Springs and Aspen/Snowmass. Passengers may take a shuttle services or taxi from Denver International Airport to Union Station.
Crews have begun their hike up the hillside in Glenwood Canyon and will begin rock scaling by around 10:00 A.M.
UPDATE 8:30 AM, MARCH 9 Crews have begun their hike up the hillside in Glenwood Canyon and will begin rock scaling by around 10:00 A.M. They will start scaling above the unstable rock and work towards it with the goal of prying it loose and/or gaining a better understanding of its stability. The rock is approximately 20 feet in diameter. Please check www.coloradodot.info/news/media-room.html periodically for news posts and photos.
UPDATE 6:37 PM, MARCH 8 CDOT crews are completing work for the night – conditions are now too dark. I-70 will remain closed overnight.
CDOT geologists have determined that the rock above the highway is too unstable to remain in place. Early tomorrow morning, Tuesday March 9, rock scaling crews will be meeting to determine how best to mitigate the rock.
CDOT maintenance crews made great progress breaking up and clearing away the boulders today. We will send notice as soon as we receive details of the mitigation work. Crews are working fast and making every effort to get traffic safely flowing through the canyon again.
UPDATE SENT 3 PM, MARCH 8
CDOT geologists are on site and are in the process of assessing a rock that appears to be unstable. The assessment requires a two-hour hike up the mountain, inspection and a two-hour hike back down. If the rock is determined to be unstable, CDOT will not reopen any lanes of I-70 until rockfall mitigation can be conducted. Since the assessment will take several hours to complete, mitigation work will not take place until tomorrow as it will be unsafe to conduct the work at night. In the meantime, crews continue to blast the large boulders into smaller pieces for removal (photo attached). So far, crews have blasted three rocks and have several more to blast apart. This work will continue this afternoon.
I-70 remains closed in both directions between Glenwood Springs (mm 116) and at Dotsero (mm 133). Motorists can take US 40 to SH 13 as an alternate route. US 50 to the south is now closed over Monarch pass due to adverse conditions.
More information will be released following inspection of the rockfall site.
I-70 is currently closed both directions between mile marker 116 and 225 (Hanging Lake) due to a rock slide.
Glenwood Canyon is more than likely going to be
closed at least all day today and there is a strong possibility that it
will be closed tomorrow. The hole in the westbound lane west of the
Hanging Lakes Tunnel is reported to be 10 feet wide and 20 feet long.
Although they have reported damage to the eastbound lanes, the damage
does not appear to be as significant. However, once the roadway is
repaired they will have to determine where the rock slide originated
and complete rock mitigation to ensure there is no danger.
We are encouraging those traveling to Aspen to fly directly into Aspen or to fly into Grand Junction.
There is no estimate on time of reopening. We have drivers and vehicles available for diversions to Grand Junction. Please see http://www.cotrip.org/home.htm for more information.
