Crews on CO 145 begin drilling holes in massive boulder following Southwest Colorado rock slide
SOUTHWEST COLORADO—A crew has started drilling holes on top of one of the massive boulders that destroyed a section of Colorado Highway 145 between Cortez and Telluride. Crews built an earth ramp to get the drilling equipment on top of the enormous 2.3-million-pound rock.
The geo-technical crew calculated that 15 to 20 holes, each 15 feet deep, must be drilled vertically into the rock. The holes will then be filled with explosive charges to pop the rock into smaller chunks, which can then be hauled away. Blasting could begin late today.
CDOT's maintenance crews have nearly completed the temporary lane to be used for one-lane alternating traffic . It is not yet known how soon this temporary road will be passable.
Rockfall mitigation and scaling of the ridge and slope above the highway has also been completed. The survey crew is confident ridge and slope are now stable.
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