The reopening of I-70 is good news for travelers through Glenwood Canyon, but how long it lasts remains to be seen.

Flash Flood Warning Shuts Down I-70 Wednesday Afternoon

At about 3:30 Tuesday afternoon, Interstate 70 was shut down through Glenwood Canyon because of a flash flood warning in the Grizzly Creek burn area. With the potential for mudslides in the canyon, the Colorado Department of Transportation closed the interstate until about 6:00 forcing motorists to wait it out or use an inconvenient alternate route.

Fortunately, no mudslides were reported during Tuesday's thunderstorms, but there is a chance of rain each day this week in Glenwood Canyon and additional safety closures will remain a possibility. Showers and thunderstorms are likely on Wednesday with a 20%-30% chance of rain Wednesday night through Friday and then lesser chances over the weekend.

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What to Know If I-70 Closes Down

When there are safety closures through Glenwood Canyon, motorists have two options - wait out the closure--or use an alternate route. If you're going to wait out the closure, CDOT says you have to get off the interstate and will not be allowed to wait on the road. On Tuesday, the closure lasted 2 1/2 hours, and, of course, would have been longer had mudslides occurred.

Knowing the Alternate Route

For eastbound i-70 travelers, the alternate route is to take CO 13 out of Rifle and then US High 40 to Steamboat Springs and Colorado Highway 131 back to Interstate 70 between Eagle and Avon.

Alerts and Closure Information

To keep track of I-70 alerts and possible closures and delays, the best resource is cotrip.org. Additional closures of the interstate are inevitable. You can only hope they don't occur at just the time you need to get through the canyon.

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