Highway 82 first closed south of Glenwood Springs due to a mud slide from mile marker 5 past mile marker 6.5, in both directions, near the Thunder River Market intersection on Saturday, August 10. A Garfield County alert stated that the slide was due to heavy rainfall.
According to CDOT, crews worked overnight on Saturday to cut a trench through the rocky debris to allow water to flow away from the flooded area. The debris was three to four feet deep with rocks and mud and the three-quarters of a mile stretch is still impacted. As of 12:15 p.m. on August 11, CDOT crews were utilizing three front loaders, a back hoe, and nine trucks to continue cleaning up the debris. As of 3 p.m., CDOT announced that the section of highway will remain closed through Sunday night as road work continues.
There is an alternate route in place using County Road 154, also known as Old State Highway 82 Bypass.
RFTA bus lines have been diverted using the Spring Valley route, but there are no interruptions to service.
All vehicles that were caught in the slide have been recovered, according to CDOT. All drivers and passengers were evacuated last night without injury. There is currently no estimate for when the highway will reopen.
Aspen Public Radio will update this story as more information becomes available.