I-70 through Glenwood Canyon, which has been closed since July 29 due to a mudslide that dumped tons of debris on the highway, could reopen to one lane in each direction as soon as Saturday, Aug. 14, according to an announcement Wednesday from Gov. Jared Polis.

Polis toured the canyon with officials from the Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT), which has hauled out closed to 8,000 truckloads, at 13 tons per truckload, of trees, rocks and mud that cascaded over both the westbound and eastbound lanes of the interstate, across the bike trail and into the Colorado River. 

The mudslide also closed the railroad line that carries the California Zephyr Amtrak passenger through the Colorado mountains, but that line reopened last Friday. 

The mudslide did the most damage between the Hanging Lake Tunnel and Bair Ranch, at the canyon’s eastern end. 

Polis has issued two executive orders, including a disaster declaration, that direct state resources to help CDOT clean up the mess. He also asked the Biden administration Monday for $116 million to pay for repairs. The federal government approved the first payment of $11.6 million on Tuesday.

CDOT is working to line the highway with 60 special sand bags they hope will prevent further damage and closures.

In the year since the Grizzly Creek fire, which created the burn scar that led to the mudslides, CDOT installed 5,500 linear feet of 7 foot-tall rockfall fencing on both eastbound and westbound lanes at mile markers 120 to 124, intended to mitigate smaller sloughs of rock and debris and prevent scattering of smaller rocks into the roadway areas. This was intended as a short term temporary measure while vegetation reestablishes on the burn scar areas over the course of the next five years. Another 15

Another 155 feet of a 20-foot tall permanent rockfall barrier system was placed on the slope several hundred feet above the westbound lanes at mile marker 124, a system designed to mitigate large rocks and in an area previously known to have rockfall. Finally, CDOT installed a 120-foot long “draped attenuator rockfall netting” at mile marker 122 in a chute that has seen previous rockfall events.

Polis received a damage assessment from CDOT Wednesday morning. A statement following the tour said Polis and CDOT Executive Director Shoshana Lew “observed the extensive damage and around the clock repair and debris clearing efforts” performed by CDOT crews.

“Clearing and ultimately re-opening the I-70 corridor through Glenwood Springs is our top transportation priority,” Polis said in a statement. “This corridor plays a vital role in our state’s economy and for many Coloradans traveling to get to work, school, and homes along the western slope. CDOT and State Emergency Operations have made tremendous progress in cleaning up and removing tons of mud and debris that have completely blocked off access to this roadway.

“As the state recovers from this incident and reopens this corridor Saturday afternoon, we will continue to need strong federal partners in the Biden administration and our federal delegation.”

Polis also thanked the state’s Department of Public Safety team; the federal delegation, including Senators John Hickenlooper and Michael Bennet; as well as partners at the U.S. Department of Transportation and Federal Highway Administration for their efforts.