AASHTO Journal, 14 August 2015
Construction contractors working for the Oklahoma Department of Transportation were able to reopen a section of Interstate 35 on Aug. 7 that had seen traffic disrupted ever since a major rock slide June 18 that followed heavy rains.
Executive Director Mike Patterson told the Oklahoma Transportation Commission Aug. 10 that work crews reopened all lanes of I-35 near Turner Falls two weeks ahead of schedule. They had worked to remove an unstable rock formation overlooking I-35 there and clear more than 14,000 tons of fallen debris from the lanes.
As earlier reported, the Oklahoma department relied on the mountain highway expertise of engineers from the Colorado DOT in formulating their response plans.
“The I-35 rock slide was truly an unprecedented event for ODOT,” said Patterson, “and we are very grateful to the Colorado Department of Transportation for lending us their expertise and to the contractors for their quick work to reopen the interstate.”
“Most importantly, we appreciate the patience of the traveling public who were impacted,” he added.
In an Aug. 6 update, his department said “crews worked around the clock in order to successfully stabilize and clear the area. Workers persisted to expedite the process in all possible areas while maintaining a safe work zone.”
That notice also said that while the lanes were reopening the project has more work ahead. The contractor will resume work in October on a final phase to install rock bolts for future stabilization of that rock formation. However, that work is expected to only involve closure of the northbound shoulder area of the highway.
