Colorado mudslides wreak havoc on major transportation route

By THOMAS PEIPERT
Associated Press

DENVER (AP) — Mudslides that ripped through western Colorado last month marked the latest in a string of closures over the last two years for Interstate 70, a major transportation corridor between the Rocky Mountains and the West Coast. The debris forces long detours for semitrailers that deliver fuel and food, and the closures inflict economic pain on businesses that cater to tourists in the popular summer destination of Glenwood Springs. Scientists have long warned of the dangers of wildfires made worse by climate change, including mudslides caused by rain in burn-scarred terrain.