Flood waters contained but highway remains closed
Vail, Colorado-AP -- Flood waters have been contained in Vail, Colorado, where more than 200 homes were evacuated because of rising water. Residents were advised to leave last night as heavy spring runoff and rain threatened to cause mudslides and sent Gore Creek over its banks. But by daylight, a berm had been built to contain the flooding.
However, a 24-mile stretch of Interstate 70, a major east-west highway, remains closed today and is expected to be closed for days because of the flooding. It's the only four-lane road through Colorado's high country, so thousands of travelers will be inconvenienced.
Heavy runoff from deep alpine snowfields washed out a culvert and opened a 20-foot-wide sinkhole in Interstate 70. The state Department of Transportation says its engineers are trying to determine how to clear the culvert beneath the highway that caused the flooding and make repairs.
Copyright 2003 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
|
