I-70 through Glenwood Canyon has been closed 'indefinitely' due to the extreme damage left from mudslides and floods that washed through the area over the weekend.

As of Sunday evening (Aug. 1), I-70 in Glenwood Canyon was closed - without a firm reopening date - at Exit 87 (West Rifle), Exit 109 (Canyon Creek), Exit 116 (Glenwood Springs) and Exit 133 (Dotsero), due to mudslides from the Grizzly Creek burn scar, as per an updated road closure announcement via the Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT).

I-70 has been closed in both directions in Glenwood Canyon, particularly between Dotsero and west Rifle, since Thursday - and there’s no estimate for when it will reopen, according to Colorado Department of Transportation Communications Director, Matt Inzeo.

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“From the briefing call that I was a part of, senior operations supervisors and engineers described extreme damage, the likes of which they had never seen in the canyon before,” Inzeo said.

As per the announcement, motorists have been advised to plan for an extended road closure and should refer to the recommended northern alternate route (pictured below):

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As per CDOT via COtrip.org, westbound motorists from the Denver metro area should exit I-70 at Exit 205 (Silverthorne) and travel north on Colorado Highway 9 towards Kremmling. Travelers will continue west on US Highway 40 and then south on CO 13 to complete the alternate route and return to westbound I-70 at Rifle (Exit 90); eastbound motorists can detour using the same route in reverse.

About 21,000 to 25,000 vehicles typically cross I-70 each day during the summer months, Inzeo said; due to the road closure, drivers now face an approximately 4-hour detour to get around the closure.

For the latest updates regarding the I-70 road closure, visit COtrip.org. 

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