“Significant delays” expected on I-70 for cleanup of rig stuck in river

A travel alert has been issued for a portion of Interstate 70 in Colorado as crews work to clear a rig that crashed into the Colorado River over the weekend. 

According to Fox 31, the truck hauling double trailers left the roadway and crashed into the Colorado river along I-70 just west of Glenwood Springs on January 24th, but its removal has been delayed due to weather conditions. 

Now, the Colorado Department of Transportation has issued a travel alert for the area as crews shut down the right lane in order to use a crane for the removal of the wrecked rig. 

⚠️TRAVEL ALERT: Motorists must plan for delays and POSSIBLE CLOSURE tomorrow (1/27) for eastbound I-70 between Rifle & Glenwood Springs due to a vehicle recovery. Major impacts will be 9 am into the evening. Overwidth traffic MUST use an alternate route. #I70 #Colorado #CDOT pic.twitter.com/87IYZeHeZK

— CDOT (@ColoradoDOT) January 26, 2021

The alert began at around 9 a.m. and is expected to last until approximately 5:30 on Wednesday evening. As part of the travel alert, oversized trucks are required to use an alternate route and those traveling through the area are advised to expect delays. 

Crews are working to finish the job before the next weather system arrives, but officials say the cleanup efforts may continue into Thursday. 

“If work is required on Thursday, motorists should again plan for delays for eastbound traffic coming into Glenwood Springs,” CDOT said.