Massive Boulder Smashes Colorado Highway

A 8.5-million-pound boulder fell from a ridge onto a highway Friday between Telluride and Cortez, according to the Colorado Department of Transportation. The massive rock closed a section of Highway 145. Another smaller boulder also smashed into the road, carving a deep trench across the highway.

The rocks tumbled from a cliff 2,000 feet above the roadway, CDOT officials said. The largest boulder was the size of a two-story building.

A crew has begun blasting the rock slide, officials said. Trucks have been hauling away fragments. The blasting has been successful so far, CDOT said.

A crew has made a temporary dirt road so vehicles can pass, but officials urged drivers to be cautious.

"Both northbound and southbound drivers will encounter portable stoplight signals controlling traffic flow at the rock slide site," CDOT posted on Facebook. "For safety, there is no stopping or standing allowed at any time through the rock fall area. The traffic light signals are automatically timed, so it is imperative that all vehicles get across the temporary road before the light changes."

Once the slope above the highway is deemed safe and more rubble is cleared, CDOT plans to open a single lane of traffic on Highway 145, officials said.