RESOLVED: Dangerous Loose Rock Removal Boulder Canyon

Ana Tine wrote:I don't have a background in construction so sorry if this is not a viable idea, but what about cementing that loose block to the block(s) behind it? That's how some buildings were made so it's probably pretty stable, as the wet sludge can enter all the crevices and the rocks behind it would hold it in place.

After all was said and done and calculations made, along with a discussion between one of our board members who has a relationship with CDOT, CDOT is sending up a rock scaling and evaluation team and will be addressing this rock.
We don't have a date from them on action from the scaling crew.
We in the group who looked at the situation directly don't believe that there is an immediate threat posed by the situation, so there should be time for them to do this within their schedules.

Special thanks for CDOT for listening and being willing to evaluate and remove the rock at the request of the climbers.

-Tony (On behalf of the BCC)

(May): After all was said and done and calculations made, along with a discussion between one of our board members who has a relationship with CDOT, CDOT is sending up a rock scaling and evaluation team and will be addressing this rock.
We don't have a date from them on action from the scaling crew.
We in the group who looked at the situation directly don't believe that there is an immediate threat posed by the situation, so there should be time for them to do this within their schedules.

Special thanks for CDOT for listening and being willing to evaluate and remove the rock at the request of the climbers.

-Tony (On behalf of the BCC)

(June)Update:

PSA: THE BOULDERADO CLOSED FRIDAY (and Hwy 119)
The Boulderado climbing area will be closed by CDOT from 6:00 am until noon on Friday, June 5, for removal of a loose block, and the highway will be closed during some of that time. Thanks to CDOT for taking care of the dangerous block!

Shotcrete is not a good fix for failures of that nature. It doesn't have much in the way of tensile strength and, less concerning to CDOT, would make quite a mess of the route. It is generally used to prevent raveling of smaller diameter material or to prevent erosion and water infiltration in the tension cracks behind the block. Were the block still mostly attached, a couple inch shotcrete application might have delayed failure. But nobody's gonna pay to mobilize the equipment and personnel needed when there are more economical alternatives.

CDOT and the county already have protocols in place for something like this, but the actual response depends on time, budget, and risk.

If it's a quick fix, they'll do it in house and send out traffic control, excavators with various attachment for removing rock, operators and whatnot. In a case like this, it would be too dangerous for the operator to "poke" at it from below with a rockbreaker. Rock scaling (professional rope access techs with various tools - pry bar, inflatable kevlar bags, rockbreakers, etc) would be sufficient and relatively cheap. Yes, they'd likely lay mats down to protect the roadway (or just plan to patch it if nothing structural is under that area). If they want to remove the rocks behind the block, based on an engineer's recommendation, they might consider drill and blast and knock it all down at once.

If it isn't a quick fix, or liability/risk determination gets a bit fuzzy, they'll call in a geological engineer or engineering geologist to make recommendations as per the level of risk and mitigation/monitoring options. CDOT has a working relationship with a number of engineering firms to do just that. Since the public took an interest in this particular case, CDOT or the county probably gave it higher priority and sent some Yeh and Associates guy out there to look at it. That dude probably said it was a high risk - high probability of failure and severe consequences when it does fail - and recommended taking care of it.

Climbers did the right thing here by contacting the proper entities and prioritizing this particular issue over the landslide threatening to wipe out some inconsequential road leading to an orphanage somewhere. Just kidding. Sort of. The block would have come down. Were somebody to trundle this particular block themselves, they might face a whole host of potential lawsuits and charges.

David,
The local community is pretty strong, and despite the occasional shortcomings of social media and internet communication in general, the Mountain Project website and its owners have been a pretty fantastic source of support.
Please do continue to stay involved, and also feel free to contact me or another rep from the BCC (Boulder Climbing Community, a qualified and registered 501c3) directly with local climbing access/safety/environmental/anchors/etc... concerns.

You can find us on Facebook, or at boulderclimbers.org/