Hours-Long Rock Slide Detour Shows Drivers The Road Less Traveled
WOLCOTT, Colo. (CBS4) - Rocks continue to fall down the walls of Glenwood Canyon and onto Interstate 70, and the expected reopening on Thursday could be further delayed.
The 24-mile shutdown of the busy interstate due to rock slides means a three hour or longer detour to the north for drivers looking to get around the mess.
And it's taking drivers through some lesser traveled parts of Colorado.
A normally quiet intersection in the small town of Wolcott is now in the middle of the detour route.
"It's spiked the traffic driving by the Wolcott Yacht Club," said Ryan Sutto, manager of the grill.
"We've definitely seen a little bit of a peak of people stopping by, weary travelers looking for food and information," he said.
Businesses along the detour aren't used to seeing traffic like this, but travelers are happy to find good food and friendly folks on the unexpected route around Glenwood canyon.
"I've been in Colorado my whole life, and I drove through the canyon as a construction project as a kid, and although it's nice and smooth now I've been through a lot of those delays and a lot of the rock slides. Not surprised," said traveler Matt Lanning.
The detours have caused issues for those not from Colorado, who are unaware that roads like Independence Pass and Cottonwood Pass are closed for the winter.
Colorado Department of Transportation has designated two alternate routes, one to the north through Wolcott, and another to the south over Monarch Pass and through Gunnison. Both will take about the same time.
