© CODTRock slide on I-70 near Glenwood Springs, CO
Photos shared by the Colorado Department of Transportation on social media showed several massive boulders on the highway. One photo showed damage to a tractor-trailer.
Transportation officials said the rock slide caused damage to the interstate, retaining wall and bridge/guardrail.
Colorado State Police closed the interstate between Exit 116 in Glenwood Springs and Exit 140 in Gypsum and said Tuesday it would remain shut down "until further notice."
Interstate 70 is one of the few direct roads that travel across the Rocky Mountains. Drivers using the recommended detour faced major traffic delays from the narrow, 203-mile alternate route that will take almost four hours to travel.
© CDOTRock slide on I-70 near Glenwood Springs, CO
Is notorious for rockfalls and has been since it was first built. It is due to the inherent geologic features in the canyon walls that result in unstable rock-mass. A friend of mine, as a geologist for Colorado DOT, worked on the initial construction of I-70 in Glenwood Canyon. It's gorgeous, but the rockfalls are and always have been a huge problem there. Numerous mitigation structures have been installed there over the decades, but the rocks continue to slide and sometimes overwhelm the various barriers that have been installed.