It is difficult to move a boulder weighing 8.5 million pounds.
Colorado Department of Transportation decided not to blow up the 8.5 million pound boulder that was blocking Highway 145. The massive boulder will be renamed Memorial Rock and the state will route its way around it. The cost of this will be $1.3 million. This is around $200,000 cheaper than packaging the stone with explosives and hauling the rubble away, then repairing the highway.
“We expect that people will have the chance to observe this geological marvel that we call Memorial Rock for generations to follow,” Colorado Governor Jared Polis stated to the Denver Post.
The governor did not give a timeline for the rerouting of the road around Memorial Rock, or the date when the iconic site would be open. He stated that some of the funding for the project would be provided by federal emergency funds.
A slightly smaller 2.5 million pound boulder and a larger boulder threw themselves roughly 1,000 feet above the road. Their eight-foot-deep trench blocked Telluride’s section of highway linking Cortez and Telluride.
CDOT was capable of blowing up the smaller which allowed enough space to open up one lane on a temporary dirt road. Geotechnical teams arrived on the scene to remove any loose rocks that could have fallen into the road.