Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT) has nearly completed the first phase in a two-stage cleanup of Loveland Pass after a weekend landslide covered the roadway in up to 20 feet of mud and silt.
As of 2pm on Tuesday, June 17th, around 85% of the debris had been removed in the travel lanes. Crews, supported by more than seven tandem dump trucks, continue to move with heightened safety precautions as the slope above the highway remains unstable.
Following the removal of the debris, CDOT engineering teams will begin to assess the slope stability and complete any final cleanup before safely reopening the pass to traffic. There is still no estimated timeline for when Loveland Pass will reopen and it will remain closed to motorists, hikers, and cyclists until the roadway is deemed safe.
The landslide occurred at around 5:30am on Sunday, June 15th, at Mile Point 226. Material above the roadway became saturated from melting snow, leading to a 100 foot wide slide with depths between 15-20 feet. The area has had a history of partial slides, but there’s been no further movement in the past 22 years.
As Loveland Pass remains closed, the Colorado Department of Transportation is escorting hazmat trucks through the I-70 Eisenhower-Johnson Memorial Tunnels (EJMT) at the top of each hour. Traffic will be temporarily halted as the hazmat vehicles pass through.
