Rockfall mitigation work will require road closures at the intersection of State Highways 96 and 165 in Custer County on Wednesday and Thursday. Colorado Department of Transportation crews will scale and remove rock from the hillside north of this area, known as McKenzie Junction.
Scaling is the act of removing loose rocks to help prevent rockfalls.
It’s the same site where a major rockslide came down last winter due to fractures caused by snow melt and movement in an inactive geological fault line.
Both roads will be closed intermittently between 7:30 a.m. and 4 p.m. on Wednesday, May 28 and Thursday, May 29.
Alternative routes are suggested:
Western CO 96 Route
North on CO 67 to US Highway 50, West on US 50 to CO 69, South on CO 69 to Westcliffe
Eastern CO 96 Route:
North on CO 69 to US 50, East on US 50 to CO 67, South on CO 67 to Wetmore
CO 165 Route:
South on CO 165 to Interstate 25, North on I-25 to CO 96, West on CO 96 to Wetmore
Additional alternate route information:
Cañon City to Westcliffe via Oak Creek Grade (CR 255) or Cañon City to Westcliffe via Copper Gulch (CR 215) or Texas Creek to Westcliffe via Highway 69.
