Sinkhole closes 1 lane of I-70 near Idaho Springs, causes major delays

Sinkhole closes one lane of EB I-70 near Idaho Springs, Colo. July 19, 2012

CLEAR CREEK COUNTY, Colo. — A sinkhole opened above a mine shaft on eastbound I-70 near Idaho Springs Thursday afternoon.

The 14-foot wide hold forced the closure of the left lane at Hidden Valley which created a traffic jam that grew to several miles long.

Crews immediately started repairs but Colorado Department of Transportation spokeswoman Stacey Stegman says the closure will definitely last overnight and into Friday.

Traffic moved slowly for miles approaching I-70 sinkhole near Idaho Springs, Colo. July 19, 2012

Stegman says it’s not known how long it will take crews to make repairs. She says clearly they want to make repairs and get traffic flow back to normal on I-70 as quickly as possible.

Anyone planning to travel to the mountains and then come back to Denver on I-70 this weekend can stay updated on the situation with the sinkhole by visiting the traffic page on KDVR.com.