Loveland Pass remains closed after Colorado landslide, but CDOT says cleanup effort's first stage is nearly complete
A stretch of Loveland Pass in the Colorado high country remains closed after a landslide, but the Colorado Department of Transportation says the first stage of the cleanup effort is nearly complete.
The 100 foot wide landslide happened early Sunday evening and covered Highway 6 with a wall of mud and debris that is 15 to 20 feet high. It happened on the Clear Creek County side of the mountain pass, closer to Loveland ski area.
On Tuesday crews had removed 85% of the rocks, mud and silt from the road, but engineering teams will still have to assess the stability of the mountainside before the road can be reopened.
CDOT said in a Tuesday afternoon that there's still no estimated time for when U.S. Highway 6 will be back open.
"Crews are working diligently to clear the slide," the department wrote in a prepared statement. "The pass will remain closed until the roadway is deemed safe. Motorists, hikers, and cyclists are urged to stay clear of the area until the clean-up is complete."
CDOT said there hasn't been a landslide in the spot where it happened, which is referred to as Scottys Curves, since 2003.
As a result of the closure, trucks carrying hazardous materials need to pass through the Eisenhower Tunnel on Interstate 70, and that could result in some slowdowns for drivers passing through the tunnel from Summit County to Clear Creek County and back.