Glenwood Canyon to reopen two-way traffic

State transportation officials are planning to reopen Interstate 70 through Glenwood Canyon to two-way traffic.

The Colorado Department of Transportation says the change should happen Thursday afternoon, around 4 p.m. or so.

The two eastbound lanes will open, but traffic will use one of those lanes for eastbound traffic and one of the lanes for westbound traffic in the main six-mile corridor where the rock slide happened. CDOT is calling it a head-to-head configuration.

Because the lanes will be just 12-feet wide and there is no shoulder, CDOT said it will continue to run a pilot/pace car to manage speeds and travel for safety reasons.

CDOT said drivers should still expect delays of up to an hour or more and intermittent closures, when necessary.

The highway will be open 24 hours a day, except when closures are needed for repair works.

There was damage in the eastbound lanes. That damage has been covered with plates.

Rock slide

The highway was closed on Feb. 15 after a second rock slide in one day.

There was roadway, retaining wall and bridge/guardrail damage.

CDOT said crews have been doing rock mitigation and adding netting and fencing to the area.

More fencing is still being installed to near the westbound lanes.

It will be several more days before the westbound side of the highway will open, officials said. It will likely be another month before all four lanes in the canyon reopen, CDOT said.