A rock slide that included two boulders the size of houses has destroyed both lanes of Highway 145 between Cortez and Telluride and left an eight-foot deep trench across the road.

The slide occurred late Friday afternoon about 12 miles north of Dolores in Montezuma County. The road is not passable and will be closed for an extended period while dirt and rocks are removed, and repairs are made.

The Colorado Department of Transportation says it is sending a geo-technical team and equipment to the site. One of the large rocks is embedded in the road and will needed to be broken into smaller pieces before it can be removed.

Routes around the area are lengthy and can add hours to a trip.