Colorado DOT to Re-Route Road Around Massive 8.5M Pound Rock
editor@aashto.org June 7, 2019 0 COMMENTS
Instead of demolishing and hauling away an 8.5-million-pound boulder that contributed to the destruction of a section of Colorado Highway 145 between Cortez and Telluride on May 26, the Colorado Department of Transportation is instead going to re-route the roadway around it – and save $200,000 in the process, according to news reports.
[Above photo via the Colorado DOT.]
“We will not be destroying this 8.5-million-pound boulder – which is the size of a house,” noted Colorado Gov. Jared Polis (D) in a statement via Twitter. “Instead, we’re going to make a new state landmark called ‘Memorial Rock’ and save taxpayers money.”
He added that while it would cost $1.5 million to repair the road and blast apart that massive rock, it will cost less – some $1.3 million – to reroute Colorado Highway 145 around it.
Last week, the Colorado DOT used explosives to clear other boulders and debris that blocked that highway following a rockslide.
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COVID-19 “stay-at-home” orders in some states resulted in 50 to 60% decline in motor vehicle travel during the height of the pandemic. This sudden drop caused severe losses in motor fuel tax revenues and other fees, which state transportation programs depend on for funding. “Without those funds, state DOTs have had no choice but to furlough workers and delay or cancel nearly $10 billion in essential transportation projects,” says Jim Tymon, executive director of AASHTO said. “Those project delays will continue unless Congress intervenes. We’re talking about projects that improve roads, bridges, and other infrastructure. Congress has to get this done.”
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