Eastbound I-70 to be closed in Glenwood Canyon Thursday after semi plummets 25 feet, spilling oil, debris on I-70

GLENWOOD SPRINGS, Colo. (KKTV) - After postponing due to a rockslide along the detour route, CDOT says it will be shutting down eastbound I-70 in Glenwood Canyon in order to finish cleaning the remnants of a semi-truck crash from the roadway.

Oil, plastic crates and other debris spilled across the interstate Tuesday after a trucker lost control of their big rig and crashed through a guardrail, plummeting more than 20 feet.

The crash happened 6 miles east of Glenwood Springs along the stretch of interstate in the canyon with two levels. Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT) says the driver was in the westbound lanes, which are on the higher deck, and fell into the eastbound lanes on the lower deck. The semi landed on its side and began leaking oil.

The trucker was hauling black plastic crates and wooden pallets, which scattered across the roadway. A CDOT spokeswoman told sister station CBS Denver that the truck also took out 200 feet of guardrail.

Cleanup took hours Tuesday and was still not completed by nightfall.

“Crews hauled away several dumpsters filled with damaged freight and crash material. The crashed truck and trailer were also hauled away this evening, but additional clean-up of debris is needed tomorrow,” CDOT wrote in a Facebook post Tuesday evening.

One eastbound lane was opened at 9 p.m. and would remain so during the Wednesday morning rush hour, CDOT said.

“A full eastbound closure will be implemented at 11 a.m. tomorrow, Wednesday, Sept. 18, to complete the clean-up efforts. This will allow for early morning commuters to travel through the canyon. Tomorrow’s eastbound closure is expected to last several hours,” the Facebook post continued.

But that all changed after a rockslide was reported on Highway 40 just two hours before the closure was slated to begin. The rockslide shut down all lanes of Highway 40 for most of Wednesday -- effectively removing any sort of detour route for the I-70 closure.

The slide was finally cleared and the roadway deemed safe to travel early Wednesday evening. CDOT said the eastbound I-70 closure would now take place starting at 11 a.m. Thursday.

The impacted area is between exits 121 and 125.

During the closure, the following detour will be in place:

Take the town of Rifle exit (87), then travel north along CO 13 to Craig. The route continues on U.S. 40 to Steamboat, then south on CO 9 to Silverthorne to get back onto I-70.

Westbound traffic will be allowed through the crash area, according to CDOT.

The driver suffered serious injuries and was taken to the hospital. Their condition has not been released as Thursday morning.