Interstate 70 through Glenwood Canyon was closed for nearly three hours Tuesday afternoon as a safety precaution as a flash flood warning was posted.
eastbound/westbound: Safety closure between Exit 116 – CO 82; Glenwood Springs and Exit 133 – Dotsero. I-70 in Glenwood Canyon is closed from Exit 116 (Glenwood Springs) to Exit 133 (Dotsero), due to a Flash Flood Warning for the Grizzly Creek burn…
— Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT) (@ColoradoDOT)
The Colorado Department of Transportation closed the highway in both directions through the Grizzly Creek fire burn area from Exit 116, Glenwood Springs, to Exit 133, Dotsero. It reopened shortly before 6 p.m.
The flash flood warning was posted by the National Weather Service at 3:06 p.m. through 5 p.m. Weather service radar showed heavy rain and thunderstorms in the area.
“Excessive rainfall over the burn scar will result in debris flow moving through the Glenwood Canyon area,” the weather service said. “The debris flow can consist of rock, mud, vegetation and other loose materials.”
The interstate has been shut down several times this year in the area by flash flooding and debris flows onto the highway, including on July 3.
