Mount Harris Canyon Rockfall Mitigation Project to Begin in April

ROUTT COUNTY — Beginning the first week of April, the Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT) will kick off a rockfall prevention project in Mount Harris Canyon between Steamboat Springs and Craig near the town of Hayden. Located along US 40 between mile marker (MM) 113 and MM 120, the project will include a variety of safety improvements to the existing rock cuts.

“Mount Harris Canyon is always on our radar,” said CDOT Resident Engineer Rob Beck. “Our regional maintenance crews work year-round to keep the area as safe as possible, but we knew eventually we were going to need to perform more permanent, proactive rockfall prevention work in this area. So we were able to identify some funding and are going to move forward this spring since we are fortunate to have the means to do so.”

During the project, crews will remove loose rocks from the existing rock cuts and slopes (called scaling), install a rockfall fence above the roadway, and install wire mesh to redirect rocks and debris into the nearby ditch. CDOT will also be removing rocks and debris that has loosened as a result of springtime melting.

Work on the project will take place Mondays through Fridays from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Wait times of up to 20 minutes could occur during scaling operations, and motorists are asked to plan for delays. CDOT would like to remind motorists to obey all road signs and flaggers, and to drive Slow for the Cone Zone.

Yenter Companies is the contractor for this nearly $1 million project (contracted at $982,000) that is expected to be completed by August 2012.

To receive real-time updates about this project, visit www.coloradodot.info/projects/MtHarrisCanyon and click on the green cell phone icon on the right hand corner of the page. Road condition updates throughout the state are also available via Twitter @coloradodot and be sure to “Like” us on our new Facebook page at www.facebook.com/coloradodot.