{"id":793639,"date":"2019-03-05T17:52:00","date_gmt":"2019-03-06T00:52:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.summitdaily.com\/news\/helicopter-dropped-bombs-trigger-planned-avalanches-that-shut-down-i-70-mountain-corridor\/"},"modified":"2019-03-06T11:50:54","modified_gmt":"2019-03-06T18:50:54","slug":"helicopter-dropped-bombs-trigger-planned-avalanches-that-shut-down-i-70-mountain-corridor","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/ksmt\/local-news\/helicopter-dropped-bombs-trigger-planned-avalanches-that-shut-down-i-70-mountain-corridor\/","title":{"rendered":"Helicopter-dropped bombs trigger planned avalanches that shut down I-70 mountain corridor"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"swift-gallery\">\n<ul id=\"imageGallery-362320-899\" class=\"gallery list-unstyled\">\n<li class=\"h-100\" data-thumb=\"https:\/\/cdn.summitdaily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2019\/03\/AvalancheInterstate-SDN-030619-1-150x150.jpg\" data-src=\"https:\/\/cdn.summitdaily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2019\/03\/AvalancheInterstate-SDN-030619-1.jpg\" data-sub-html=\"Hugh Carey \/ hcarey@summitdaily.com | CDOT crew work to remove the snow debris from an controlled avalanche that spilled onto Interstate 70 Tuesday, March 5, near Loveland Pass.\">\n<div class=\"row no-gutters h-100\">\n<div class=\"col my-auto\">\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.summitdaily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2019\/03\/AvalancheInterstate-SDN-030619-1.jpg\" alt=\"CDOT crew work to remove the snow debris from an controlled avalanche that spilled onto Interstate 70 Tuesday, March 5, near Loveland Pass.\" \/><\/p>\n<div class=\"caption\">\n<p><strong>CDOT crew work to remove the snow debris from an controlled avalanche that spilled onto Interstate 70 Tuesday, March 5, near Loveland Pass.<\/strong><br \/>\nHugh Carey \/ hcarey@summitdaily.com<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<li class=\"h-100\" data-thumb=\"https:\/\/cdn.summitdaily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2019\/03\/AvalancheInterstate-SDN-030619-1-1-150x150.jpg\" data-src=\"https:\/\/cdn.summitdaily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2019\/03\/AvalancheInterstate-SDN-030619-1-1.jpg\" data-sub-html=\"Hugh Carey \/ hcarey@summitdaily.com | CDOT crew work to remove the snow debris from an controlled avalanche that spilled onto Interstate 70 Tuesday, March 5, near Loveland Pass.\">\n<div class=\"row no-gutters h-100\">\n<div class=\"col my-auto\">\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.summitdaily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2019\/03\/AvalancheInterstate-SDN-030619-1-1.jpg\" alt=\"CDOT crew work to remove the snow debris from an controlled avalanche that spilled onto Interstate 70 Tuesday, March 5, near Loveland Pass.\" \/><\/p>\n<div class=\"caption\">\n<p><strong>CDOT crew work to remove the snow debris from an controlled avalanche that spilled onto Interstate 70 Tuesday, March 5, near Loveland Pass.<\/strong><br \/>\nHugh Carey \/ hcarey@summitdaily.com<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<li class=\"h-100\" data-thumb=\"https:\/\/cdn.summitdaily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2019\/03\/AvalancheInterstate-SDN-030619-1-2-150x150.jpg\" data-src=\"https:\/\/cdn.summitdaily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2019\/03\/AvalancheInterstate-SDN-030619-1-2.jpg\" data-sub-html=\"Hugh Carey \/ hcarey@summitdaily.com | CDOT crew work to remove the snow debris from an controlled avalanche that spilled onto Interstate 70 Tuesday, March 5, near Loveland Pass.\">\n<div class=\"row no-gutters h-100\">\n<div class=\"col my-auto\">\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.summitdaily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2019\/03\/AvalancheInterstate-SDN-030619-1-2.jpg\" alt=\"CDOT crew work to remove the snow debris from an controlled avalanche that spilled onto Interstate 70 Tuesday, March 5, near Loveland Pass.\" \/><\/p>\n<div class=\"caption\">\n<p><strong>CDOT crew work to remove the snow debris from an controlled avalanche that spilled onto Interstate 70 Tuesday, March 5, near Loveland Pass.<\/strong><br \/>\nHugh Carey \/ hcarey@summitdaily.com<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<li class=\"h-100\" data-thumb=\"https:\/\/cdn.summitdaily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2019\/03\/AvalancheInterstate-SDN-030619-1-3-150x150.jpg\" data-src=\"https:\/\/cdn.summitdaily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2019\/03\/AvalancheInterstate-SDN-030619-1-3.jpg\" data-sub-html=\"Hugh Carey \/ hcarey@summitdaily.com | CDOT crew work to remove the snow debris from an controlled avalanche that spilled onto Interstate 70 Tuesday, March 5, near Loveland Pass.\">\n<div class=\"row no-gutters h-100\">\n<div class=\"col my-auto\">\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.summitdaily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2019\/03\/AvalancheInterstate-SDN-030619-1-3.jpg\" alt=\"CDOT crew work to remove the snow debris from an controlled avalanche that spilled onto Interstate 70 Tuesday, March 5, near Loveland Pass.\" \/><\/p>\n<div class=\"caption\">\n<p><strong>CDOT crew work to remove the snow debris from an controlled avalanche that spilled onto Interstate 70 Tuesday, March 5, near Loveland Pass.<\/strong><br \/>\nHugh Carey \/ hcarey@summitdaily.com<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<li class=\"h-100\" data-thumb=\"https:\/\/cdn.summitdaily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2019\/03\/AvalancheInterstate-SDN-030619-1-4-150x150.jpg\" data-src=\"https:\/\/cdn.summitdaily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2019\/03\/AvalancheInterstate-SDN-030619-1-4.jpg\" data-sub-html=\"Hugh Carey \/ hcarey@summitdaily.com | CDOT crew work to remove the snow debris from an controlled avalanche that spilled onto Interstate 70 Tuesday, March 5, near Loveland Pass.\">\n<div class=\"row no-gutters h-100\">\n<div class=\"col my-auto\">\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.summitdaily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2019\/03\/AvalancheInterstate-SDN-030619-1-4.jpg\" alt=\"CDOT crew work to remove the snow debris from an controlled avalanche that spilled onto Interstate 70 Tuesday, March 5, near Loveland Pass.\" \/><\/p>\n<div class=\"caption\">\n<p><strong>CDOT crew work to remove the snow debris from an controlled avalanche that spilled onto Interstate 70 Tuesday, March 5, near Loveland Pass.<\/strong><br \/>\nHugh Carey \/ hcarey@summitdaily.com<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<li class=\"h-100\" data-thumb=\"https:\/\/cdn.summitdaily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2019\/03\/AvalancheInterstate-SDN-030619-1-5-150x150.jpg\" data-src=\"https:\/\/cdn.summitdaily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2019\/03\/AvalancheInterstate-SDN-030619-1-5.jpg\" data-sub-html=\"Hugh Carey \/ hcarey@summitdaily.com | CDOT crew work to remove the snow debris from an controlled avalanche that spilled onto Interstate 70 Tuesday, March 5, near Loveland Pass.\">\n<div class=\"row no-gutters h-100\">\n<div class=\"col my-auto\">\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.summitdaily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2019\/03\/AvalancheInterstate-SDN-030619-1-5.jpg\" alt=\"CDOT crew work to remove the snow debris from an controlled avalanche that spilled onto Interstate 70 Tuesday, March 5, near Loveland Pass.\" \/><\/p>\n<div class=\"caption\">\n<p><strong>CDOT crew work to remove the snow debris from an controlled avalanche that spilled onto Interstate 70 Tuesday, March 5, near Loveland Pass.<\/strong><br \/>\nHugh Carey \/ hcarey@summitdaily.com<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<li class=\"h-100\" data-thumb=\"https:\/\/cdn.summitdaily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2019\/03\/AvalancheInterstate-SDN-030619-1-6-150x150.jpg\" data-src=\"https:\/\/cdn.summitdaily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2019\/03\/AvalancheInterstate-SDN-030619-1-6.jpg\" data-sub-html=\"Hugh Carey \/ hcarey@summitdaily.com | CDOT crew work to remove the snow debris from an controlled avalanche that spilled onto Interstate 70 Tuesday, March 5, near Loveland Pass.\">\n<div class=\"row no-gutters h-100\">\n<div class=\"col my-auto\">\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.summitdaily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2019\/03\/AvalancheInterstate-SDN-030619-1-6.jpg\" alt=\"CDOT crew work to remove the snow debris from an controlled avalanche that spilled onto Interstate 70 Tuesday, March 5, near Loveland Pass.\" \/><\/p>\n<div class=\"caption\">\n<p><strong>CDOT crew work to remove the snow debris from an controlled avalanche that spilled onto Interstate 70 Tuesday, March 5, near Loveland Pass.<\/strong><br \/>\nHugh Carey \/ hcarey@summitdaily.com<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText DropCap\">It was undoubtedly a frustrating day for motorists heading to Summit County along Interstate 70 on Tuesday after a number of controlled avalanches wreaked havoc on roadways in the mountain corridor.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">Early Tuesday morning the Colorado Department of Transportation began avalanche mitigation work in areas around the Western Slope, including at the Bethel slide path between the Eisenhower\/Johnson Memorial Tunnels and Herman Gulch, at the Disney slide path above Berthoud Pass at US 40 and at Ten Mile Canyon near Copper Mountain.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">But as the mitigation work began, primarily via helicopter bombing missions, CDOT got a lot more than they bargained for. A giant plume of snow descending from Mount Bethel covered eastbound I-70 with 8 feet of snow, and upwards of 15 feet on the westbound lane. The slide effectively shut down large portions of the interstate \u2014 about a 15-mile stretch from Silverthorne to Herman Gulch \u2014 well into the evening.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">CDOT initially expected about a four-hour cleanup period, but due to the severe nature of the avalanche, things took quite a bit longer. Tracy Trulove, a spokeswoman from CDOT, said that the slide path went all the way down to the dirt, meaning CDOT crews needed to clean up debris like trees and rocks in addition to massive piles of snow. The avalanche also destroyed part of the cable guardrail along the side of the road, raising safety concerns for cleanup crews and substantially extending the cleanup.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">\u201cThey discovered the cable guardrail still had tension in it, which is a safety concern,\u201d said Trulove. \u201cSo that took us getting some of that snow cleared to get to the guardrail. It proved to be a challenge, because it was wrapped around culverts and things \u2026 but again, for keeping our team safe we had to get to a place where we could get to the guardrail and clear a path.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">Not long after the I-70 closure, CDOT also shut down US 6 at Loveland Pass, closing off any ingress or egress out of the east side of the county. At around 11 a.m., CDOT began another avalanche mitigation project on I-70 at Ten Mile Canyon \u2014 near Copper Mountain where a pair of natural avalanches closed down the road on Sunday \u2014 which again closed I-70 between Copper Mountain and Frisco for much of the day, and closed access to the west side of the county.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">In addition to mitigation efforts in Summit, the controlled avalanche from the Disney slide path covered Berthoud Pass in snow for several hours, closing off the main alternative route in and out of the county and leaving CO 9 to Fairplay as the only alternative route available to drivers for most of the day.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">According to representatives with CDOT, the controlled avalanches may not have been simply substantial, but also historic.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">\u201cThese are paths that CDOT mitigates regularly, and we haven\u2019t seen large natural events for some time,\u201d said Ethan Greene, director of the Colorado Avalanche Information Center. \u201cAt the Disney slide path on US 40, the last time it actually reached the road was in 1957. \u2026 With Bethel on I-70, the last time we saw something of this size was in 1986.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">\u201cThere were pretty significant avalanches with every shot placement,\u201d added Jamie Yount, avalanche program manager with CDOT. \u201cSo it\u2019s been a very active day, and almost a historic avalanche cycle with big impacts in areas we don\u2019t usually see them.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">While the mitigation efforts were certainly less than ideal on Tuesday, there\u2019s still a chance there could be more in the area in the coming days as another snowstorm is expected to hit Summit County over the next week. And as exasperated as some travelers were at the lack of notice before Tuesday\u2019s mitigation, they shouldn\u2019t expect better notice next time.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">Avalanche mitigation is a joint effort between CDOT and the Colorado Avalanche Information Center, which sends out individuals with CDOT crews daily \u2014 along with weather and avalanche forecasting \u2014 to recommend the timing of mitigation efforts.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">Bob Wilson, a spokesman for CDOT, said that the department is actually prohibited from giving advanced notice of avalanche mitigation efforts, in large part due to the militaristic nature of their equipment and conditions set by the U.S. Army.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">\u201cIt\u2019s a security issue that started after 9\/11,\u201d said Wilson. \u201cThey\u2019re dealing with live ordinance, some of it comes from the U.S. Army. It\u2019s one of those things we don\u2019t announce as a security precaution. So if somebody has other ideas, they\u2019re not aware we\u2019re going to be on the roadway with live ordinance.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">Wilson said that mitigation efforts typically aren\u2019t announced until about 30 minutes before they begin. He continued to say that CDOT tries their best to avoid weekends, and tries to begin efforts at first light to lessen the impact on drivers, though things don\u2019t always work out that way.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">\u201cAs much snow as we\u2019re getting you never know when we\u2019ll need to get out there,\u201d said Wilson. \u201cIt\u2019s all about public safety.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">With very little notice before mitigation efforts take place, CDOT recommends travelers check <a id=\"N0x10da9c0N0xed0530:N0x10da9c0N0x10f5220\" href=\"https:\/\/cotrip.org\/home.htm\">COTrip.org<\/a> and CDOT\u2019s Twitter page for traffic information before leaving, and always properly prepare for the trip with a well-stocked emergency bag in case the worst should happen. For up-to-date avalanche forecasts, visit <a id=\"N0x10da9c0N0xed0590:N0x10da9c0N0x10f52b0\" href=\"https:\/\/avalanche.state.co.us\/\">Colorado.gov\/avalanche<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">\u201cWe\u2019re dealing with Mother Nature here,\u201d said Trulove. \u201cAs much as we can forecast, we still have situations come up. \u2026 it\u2019s just that kind of winter.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.summitdaily.com\/news\/helicopter-dropped-bombs-trigger-planned-avalanches-that-shut-down-i-70-mountain-corridor\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">via:: Summit Daily<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>CDOT crew work to remove the snow debris from an controlled avalanche that spilled onto Interstate 70 Tuesday, March 5, near Loveland Pass. Hugh Carey \/ hcarey@summitdaily.com CDOT crew work to remove the snow debris from an controlled avalanche that spilled onto Interstate 70 Tuesday, March 5, near Loveland Pass. Hugh Carey \/ hcarey@summitdaily.com CDOT [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[99],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-793639","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","6":"category-local-news"},"acf":[],"publishpress_future_action":{"enabled":false,"date":"2026-06-13 21:23:20","action":"change-status","newStatus":"draft","terms":[],"taxonomy":"category","extraData":[]},"publishpress_future_workflow_manual_trigger":{"enabledWorkflows":[]},"distributor_meta":false,"distributor_terms":false,"distributor_media":false,"distributor_original_site_name":"KSMT The Mountain","distributor_original_site_url":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/ksmt","push-errors":false,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/ksmt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/793639","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/ksmt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/ksmt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/ksmt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/ksmt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=793639"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/ksmt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/793639\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/ksmt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=793639"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/ksmt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=793639"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/ksmt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=793639"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}