Early Friday morning, drivers on Colorado Highway 62 got a surprise when part of a prefabricated home slid off its trailer and dropped squarely onto the roadway, blocking both lanes near the Dallas Divide.
The incident happened before 7 a.m. and quickly backed up traffic between Placerville and Ridgway as emergency crews rushed to the scene and staged along the narrow mountain stretch.
According to CBS Colorado, the San Miguel County Sheriff's Office said the section of home came off a semi-trailer about four miles west of the Dallas Divide. The Colorado State Patrol told the outlet that a crane was being brought in from Montrose to lift the structure off the highway. No injuries were reported, and investigators remained on site to sort out what went wrong.
Where It Happened
State Highway 62 links Placerville and Ridgway and crosses the Dallas Divide along the San Juan Skyway, a route better known for mountain views than falling houses. According to Wikipedia, the highway is a narrow, scenic mountain pass, which can make recovery and cleanup of oversized loads more complicated than on lower, wider stretches of road.
Traffic And Detours
With both lanes blocked, the San Miguel County Sheriff's Office laid out detours for anyone trying to get between Placerville and Ridgway. Drivers were being routed onto County Road 56V (Green Meadows Lane) and County Road 58P to bypass the closure, per CBS Colorado.
Officials did not give a projected time for the highway to reopen and urged motorists to follow local traffic updates while crews worked to clear the oversized load from the mountain pass.
Investigation Ongoing
Local and state authorities remained at the scene Friday to investigate why the section of the prefabricated home had separated from the truck in the first place. Travelers in the area were advised to expect delays and keep an eye on local advisories for the latest on Highway 62.
