CDOT: I-70 will not reopen Saturday

Spokesmen for the Colorado Department of Transportation announced Saturday that I-70 is not yet safe for reopening through Glenwood Canyon.

There is no date set for an estimated reopening. Crews are still assessing the rock fall danger in the affected six-mile stretch.

Mitigation crews removed a five-foot and ten-foot boulder from the surrounding cliff side earlier on Saturday.

Rain and hail Thursday forced workers to perform additional rock scaling duties.

The highway has been closed between Glenwood Springs and Gypsum since Monday night when a rock slide damaged the highway.

CORRECTION: The start of a pilot car escort, which will take drivers through a six-mile section one way, then the other, has been postponed. Conditions in the canyon are still not stable enough to allow traffic, even with the added safety of a pilot escort.

CDOT still has plans to launch the pilot car plan later in the week, although an exact timeline has not been announced.

When it happens, drivers coming east-bound will encounter the pilot cars at the 116 exit in Glenwood.

Drivers headed west will see pilot cars at exit 129 in Bear Creek.

Those opting to take the pilot car route can expect extremely long delays.