TELLURIDE, Colo. — Two mudslides shut down Highway 145 in San Miguel County for hours Tuesday and swept a motorcyclist into a river, though the highway has since reopened and the rider is recovering in a Grand Junction hospital.
The road was described as "completely impassible" after the mudslides brought four to five feet of mud and four- to five-foot boulders to the roadway, according to the San Miguel County sheriff's office.
The debris spanned 250 feet across the highway, per the sheriff's office.
According to the sheriff's office, a motorcyclist was injured in the Highway 145 mudslide when rocks and debris swept the rider about 60 feet into the San Miguel River.
The rider was taken to St. Mary's Hospital with injuries believed to be non-life-threatening. No other injuries were reported.
Officials said at 4:45 p.m. CDOT was on scene with a plow truck, and more equipment was en route. Crews were able to reopen the highway around 9:30 p.m. after clearing debris from the roadway.
County Road M44, also known as Specie Creek Road, "is a viable alternate route ONE WAY only from Highway 145 to Norwood," the sheriff's office said at 5 p.m.
"Drive with caution," officials said. "Conditions may change."
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It's not the only roadway closed after recent mudslides.
On Monday, a mudslide triggered by a flash flood forced the closure of Interstate 70 in Garfield County, and the roadway remains closed Tuesday evening.
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Not far from the Highway 62 closure, Friday mudslides in Telluride prompted the closures of Imogene Pass and Tomboy Road, according to Telluride officials.
Tomboy Road was still closed as of Tuesday, with an estimated reopening Wednesday. The San Miguel County sheriff's office said Tuesday the reopening of Imogene Pass was contingent on the opening of Tomboy Road.
Friday's mudslides also flooded Telluride's Palm Theatre and intermediate school, causing "significant damage," according to school and fire officials.
