I-70 reopens after flooding between New Castle and Silt

I-70 reopens after flooding between New Castle and Silt July 23, 2026 - Northwestern Colorado - CDOT crews worked non-stop moving water, debris from roadway https://www.codot.gov/news/2026/july2026news/i70-reopens-after-flooding-between-newcastle-silt https://www.codot.gov/@@site-logo/siteLogo.png

Travel Advisory

July 23, 2026 - Northwestern Colorado - CDOT crews worked non-stop moving water, debris from roadway

Garfield County - Colorado Department of Transportation announces the opening of all lanes in both directions of Interstate 70 between New Castle, Mile Point 105, and Silt, MP 97, after heavy flooding closed the roadway.

Shortly before 7 p.m. on July 20, I-70 became impassable due to a massive flash flood bringing with it tons of mud and debris. Torrential rain and hail overwhelmed the drought-stricken ground which was unable to absorb the high volume of water in the short period of heavy rains. This excessive water flooded the ground, irrigation ditches and roadway drainages. These drainages were covered by two to four feet of mud, rocks, logs and other debris, which resulted in the flooding of I-70 and parts of US Highway 6.

The mud and debris covered a distance of more than 300 yards of the interstate and, at its height, was roughly seven feet deep at the lowest point of the road.

Within a short period of time, more than a dozen maintenance members were on scene with heavy equipment, traffic control was in place, and commuters were being detoured onto the frontage road and US 6 which parallel the highway.

"This was a massive undertaking that required a high level of coordination and movement of people, equipment and material in a short period of time," said CDOT Executive Director Shoshana Lew. "The ability to open the interstate to move goods, services and everyday commuters across the I-70 corridor is an absolute priority for us and I'm proud of the work the team did here."

With more than a dozen CDOT personnel working 24-hour operations, crews were able to open one eastbound lane July 22 at 6 a.m., enabling morning rush hour traffic to utilize the highway rather than continue on the US 6 detour from Silt to New Castle. By 4:30 p.m. that same day, crews were able to open a westbound lane. Continuing to work through the night, this morning (July 23) crews were able to open the second eastbound lane at 3 a.m. and the second westbound lane at 4:30 a.m.

Much work will continue moving debris, and crews will still be present, so commuters are asked to abide by posted speed reductions and use caution when traveling through the area.

"This clean up project was not just as simple as pulling the drain plug from your bathtub," said Regional Transportation Director Jason Smith. "Moving a lake's worth of water and tons of debris took significant work. I'm proud of the diligence the team had by first assessing the issues, then creating the strategy to get the roadway open and for their non-stop effort."

Teams utilized a fleet of vehicles in the response, including an excavator, front-end loader, vacuum trucks, six plows, two street sweepers, and numerous other support vehicles with crews of no less than a dozen people at a time working 12-hour shifts.

For the most up-to-date information on roadways across Colorado, visit COtrip.org or download the COtrip Planner App.

July 20, 2026, saw excessive flooding across Interstate 70 between New Castle and Silt causing the roadway to close in both directions. CDOT crews worked around-the-clock utlizing heavy equipment such as front-end loaders, excavators, plows and more to remove flood water and debris in order to reopen Interstate 70 between New Castle and Silt. While part of the crew searched for buried drains along the roadsides, other CDOT crew members utilized six plows to work in tandem making a wave of flood water directed to the initial drain they were able to uncover and open. On July 22, CDOT crews were able to open one eastbound lane at 6 a.m. and one westbound lane by 4:30 p.m. All lanes were opened by June 23 at 4:30 a.m.

Know Before You Go

Travelers are urged to "know before you go." Gather information about weather forecasts and anticipated travel impacts and current road conditions prior to hitting the road. CDOT resources include:

• Road conditions and travel information: COtrip.org
• Download the COtrip Planner app: bit.ly/COtripapp
• Sign up for project or travel alerts: bit.ly/COnewsalerts
• Check scheduled construction lane closures: bit.ly/laneclosures
• Connect with @ColoradoDOT on social media: X, Facebook, Instagram and YouTube