Interstate 70 eastbound near western Colorado closed after tractor-trailer accident and oil spill

A truck driver was hospitalized with serious injuries after driving through the median near Glenwood Springs. A detour has been put in place and the eastbound lanes of the highway are expected to be closed for several hours.

The truck driver was loaded with black plastic boxes and wooden pallets and was heading west when his vehicle overturned, crashed through the guardrail and hit the eastbound lanes below, spilling oil, according to the Colorado State Patrol.

The westbound lanes are open, but eastbound travelers are asked to take a northern detour through the town of Rifle at Exit 87, then head north on Highway 13 to Craig. That route continues on US 40 to Steamboat Springs, then south on CO 9 to Silverthorne, where drivers will rejoin I-70, according to the Colorado Department of Transportation.

In a photo shared by CDOT, the wrecked truck can be seen on its side while CDOT employees and a CSP patrol car block traffic.

A CDOT spokeswoman said the truck struck a 200-foot-long railing before falling 25 feet onto the eastbound lane.