Significant low-elevation snow this year likely intensified freeze-thaw action within the gap as well. When snow melts then freezes again, it forces rock apart.<\/p>\n
The soft soil where the boulders detached kept them intact as they tumbled down, Ortiz said.<\/p>\n
Typically, when large boulders fall, they break apart on rock surfaces and cliffs before hitting roadways, he said.<\/p>\n
That slope has blocks that have separated from the cliff, but none was large enough to gain momentum to reach the valley floor. Historically, at least one other boulder nearly reached Colorado 145, located about 4 miles south of the rock slide.<\/p>\n The large trench of torn-up earth from the boulders will heal naturally and does not appear to have created a potential for future failures or risk to the highway, officials said.<\/p>\n Jim Ellson and his son where fishing at a nearby pond when they saw the boulders fall.<\/p>\n \u201cIt sounded like a jet engine,\u201d said Ellson. \u201cI told my son, \u2018Look at that!\u2019 You could see massive boulders crashing down and tons of dust and debris being plowed up. We were in awe, kind of shocked. What a sight!\u201d<\/p>\n Ellson said the boulders just missed two vehicles, which continued southbound without stopping.<\/p>\n \u201cI guess they didn\u2019t bother to look in the rearview mirror!\u201d he said.<\/p>\n He threw his fishing pole down and ran to his nearby home on Road 37 to call 911.<\/p>\n Neighbors raced to the scene, one on an ATV. They found another southbound vehicle that had stopped and reversed just in front of where the boulder came down. The truck was pummeled with large rocks, but the occupants were uninjured. A huge plume of dust enveloped the area.<\/p>\n \u201cThe house shook long and hard, then shook again with the second rock hit,\u201d said Ellson\u2019s wife, Barb.<\/p>\n Road 37, a private road that parallels Colorado 145, served as an initial detour around the fallen boulders. The Montezuma County road department graded it to improve the route, and Sheriff Steve Nowlin was on scene.<\/p>\n \u201cIt was the first traffic jam our road has ever seen,\u201d said Barb Ellson.<\/p>\n The highway temporarily was closed, except for residents, while CDOT put in a temporary lane allowing alternating traffic controlled by a signal.<\/p>\n CDOT said the road repair will cost an estimated $1.3 million. Once the contract is awarded, the repair will take four to six weeks, depending on the weather.<\/p>\n The boulder that came to rest on the road weighed 2.5 million pounds and was blown up with explosives. The other boulder weighed 8.3 million pounds and came to rest just off the roadway after creating a huge trench through it.<\/p>\n CDOT decided to leave the big boulder where it is, and Gov. Jared Polis announced it will be named Memorial Rock because it came down at the beginning of the Memorial Day weekend.<\/p>\n CDOT spokeswoman Lisa Schwantes said CDOT maintenance crews who responded to the incident suggested the name.<\/p>\n \u201cThis name not only reflects when the slide occurred, but it can also be a reminder of those who lost their lives protecting our country,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n The highway will not need to be rerouted. It will be widened with additional shoulder, and a guardrail will be installed at the location of the rock for driver safety.<\/p>\n jmimiaga@ the-journal.com<\/em><\/p>\n An 8.5 million-pound boulder fell from a cliff band May 24 and came to rest on the side of Colorado Highway 145. That\u2019s about the weight of 1 million gallons of water, or about 3 acre-feet. Another way to think about it: It\u2019s about the weight of 650 African bush elephants.<\/p>\n<\/div>\nDid you know?<\/h4>\n