Memorial Rock

Memorial Rock is a 8,500,000-pound (3,900,000 kg) boulder on State Highway 145 (SH 145) near Dolores in the US state of Colorado.

Rockfall

Rockfall, caused by ice jacking during freeze-thaw cycles in the Rocky Mountains,[1] is cited as a "chronic hazard" at over 750 locations by the Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT).[2] On May 24, 2019, a 10,000,000-pound (4,500,000 kg) rockfall from a 2,000-foot-high (610 m) mountain ledge occurred at milepost 22 of SH 145 near Dolores, completely covering and closing the highway.[1][3] The largest rock in the rockfall left an eight-foot (2.4 m) trench behind it.[4] Another, smaller boulder that weighed over 2,000,000 pounds (910,000 kg) and was 48 feet (15 m) long came down in the same rockfall and was blasted to fragments on May 26 by the state in order to reopen one lane of SH 145.[5]

Designation as landmark

When it was deemed impractical to remove or destroy with explosives, Governor Jared Polis declared the largest boulder would be named Memorial Rock as a memorial landmark and left where it came to rest; the highway would be rebuilt and rerouted slightly at a cost of over $1 million.[4][6][7][8] The governor stated he hoped it would become a tourist attraction, and the state would be seeking a matching designation and funding from the U.S. Federal Government.[9]

References
  1. Gilboy, James (May 27, 2019). "10.3 Million Pounds of Rock Tumble 1,000 Feet Onto Colorado Highway, Closing It Indefinitely". The Drive.
  2. "Geotechnical Program → Geohazards Program → Rockfall". Colorado Department of Transportation. Retrieved June 7, 2017.
  3. Dumas, Tyler (May 25, 2019). "Massive rock slide closes Highway 145 indefinitely". Pueblo, Colorado: KOAA-TV News.
  4. Lotus, Jean (June 6, 2019). "Giant roadside rock to remain on Colorado mountain highway as landmark". United Press International.
  5. Brackett, Ron (May 27, 2019). "Massive Boulder that Blocked Colorado Highway Is Blasted Into Fragments". The Weather Channel.
  6. Polis, Jared [@GovofCO] (June 4, 2019). "Everybody meet Memorial Rock" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  7. "A huge rock is blocking a Colorado highway. Governor decides to give it a name and leave it there". The Mercury News. San Jose, California. June 5, 2019.
  8. "Humongous Rock That Crushed Highway 145 Wins, Colorado Will Leave It Alone". Colorado Public Radio. Associated Press. June 6, 2019.
  9. Miller, Blair (June 5, 2019). "The nation's newest tourist attraction? This 8.5 million-pound rock in Colorado". Nashville: WTVF-TV.

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