The Colorado Department of Transportation announced yesterday that the four month rockfall mitigation project in Glenwood Canyon is officially complete.
The final protective fence was installed in the canyon last week on Sept. 1, just as CDOT had predicted when they started the work. However, the entire project wrapped up this Tuesday once crews finished cleaning up the worksite just west of Hanging Lake Tunnel.
This mitigation project was prompted by the Feb. 15 rockslide that happened in an area that CDOT had not previously marked as an active geohazard in the canyon. After the slide, the highway was not fully open again until the beginning of May.
During the four month mitigation project, the canyon twice had to be closed for an entire day. The first time, the operation was canceled and rescheduled until the team found a larger helicopter to get the job done.
The project included installing four fences in order to create barriers along the canyon wall. Although the numbers are still being figured, estimates are that the team completed the project under the $2 million budget.
