A Day In The Life Of Colorado DOT's Rockslide Mitigation Crew

If you asked any high school boy what their dream job would entail, there’s probably about a 50/50 chance they’d say something with explosives. Maybe they dream of being a professional pyrotechnic, maybe they dream of being an explosives expert in the military, or maybe they dream of being a demolition expert. You probably won’t hear them say “I want to work for the Colorado Department of Transportation”, but, believe it or not, that’s still a great way to wind up working with explosives.

Much like the Utah Department of Transportation’s habit of using howitzers to manage avalanches, the Colorado DOT (CDOT) likes to use explosives to help in rockfall mitigation, and we occasionally get to see some nice videos of them doing so:

@coloradodot
Just another day for our crews 👷! As much work as we put into #Rockfall mitigation, #Colorado does what Colorado wants 🫣. Here’s a glimpse at a day in the life of #TeamCDOT re-opening the highway after a rockfall. It’s hard work, but we’re up to the challenge 🦺 #fyp #foryoupage #KnowBeforeYouGo #SlowfortheConeZone
♬ original sound – coloradodot

Look, if you’re like me, you’ve got your issues with the Colorado roadways. No matter how much construction they constantly seem to be doing in this state, there always seems to be some huge issues with the roads. Maybe that’s small-car-accident-sized potholes, maybe that’s rocks sitting in the middle of the road, maybe that’s those wheel sized divots that run from Eisenhower Tunnel to Idaho Springs in the righthand lane of I-70 East. Despite the problems, CDOT works hard to keep things moving.

I don’t know that I’d be a happier man if my job included blowing up rocks, but I don’t think I’d be complaining, and you probably wouldn’t be either. (CDOT, if you ever want to take me on a ride along to watch some rocks go BOOM, let me know. I wouldn’t say no).

@coloradodot
Another year, another rockslide on GlenwoodCanyon…🪨 Luckily, this is from 2021. Rock and mudslides this year are a different story. After heavy rains, there was another mudslide last week on I70. Due to rockfall mitigation 🧗 and the readiness of our crews 👷, the debris was cleaned up in only 24 hours! Another reason why mitigating storm damage is an important part of #ConstructionSeason for TeamCDOT! 🦺 #fyp #foryoupage #Colorado #I70things
♬ Goo Goo Muck – The Cramps