Floodwaters Rip Away Chunk of Colorado Highway

Floodwaters ripped away a stretch of Colorado Highway 151 south of Chimney Rock, leaving the road cut in two and impassable for residents in the southwest of the state.

Footage released by the Colorado Department of Transportation from a drone shows the swollen river flowing across the highway where a section of asphalt has vanished, with autumn trees lining the valley on either side and a broken edge of road hanging over the water.

The segment washed away about 7 miles south of the US 160 junction, near milepost 27, the department said on Saturday, October 24. The highway between Pagosa Springs and Ignacio had been closed since Thursday night, October 22, because of heavy rain and flooding.

On Sunday, crews began planning emergency reconstruction, including a temporary access road for local residents and emergency responders, and urged drivers not to use county or side roads to get around the closure.