Mu Seputembala imeneyo, pafupifupi sabata imodzi mvula yamphamvu itagwa m'boma, anthu zikwizikwi aku Colorado anakakamizika kuchoka m'nyumba zawo. Kusefukira kwa madzi ndi matope kunapha anthu 10. Barnhardt akukumbukira kuona magalimoto ndi nyumba za anansi akudutsa ngati zoseweretsa za ana pafupi ndi nyumba yake pafupi ndi St. Vrain Creek.
Tsopano, patatha zaka pafupifupi zisanu ndi zinayi, chigwa chomwe chinali pafupi naye chabwerera m'mbuyo. Malo a Colorado Highway 7 omwe anakokoloka adzazidwa. Asayansi apanga njira yatsopano yothira madzi yopangidwira kupirira kusefukira kwa madzi mtsogolo.
Anthu okhala ngati Barnhardt akumva bwino kuti khola la nyumbayo latha.
"Sitikufunanso otiperekeza kuti tifike kunyumba ndi kubwera," adatero akumwetulira. "Ndipo tikhoza kutuluka m'galimoto yathu."
Anthu okhala m'deralo ndi akuluakulu a Dipatimenti Yoona za Mayendedwe ku Colorado adasonkhana Lachinayi kuti akondwerere kutsegulidwanso kwa msewu waukulu wa 7 pakati pa Lyon ndi Estes Park kumapeto kwa sabata la Chikumbutso.
Polankhula ndi omwe adapezekapo, mkulu wa CDOT m'chigawo, Heather Paddock, adati kukonza misewu yayikulu ndi komaliza mwa mapulojekiti oposa 200 osiyana omwe boma lachita kuyambira kusefukira kwa madzi.
"Ponena za momwe mayiko akuchira mwachangu ku masoka ngati awa, kumanganso zomwe zawonongeka kwa zaka zisanu ndi zinayi ndikofunikira kwambiri, mwina ngakhale mbiri yakale," adatero.
Mizinda ndi madera oposa 30 kuyambira ku Lyon mpaka ku Far East mpaka ku Sterling adanenanso kuti kusefukira kwa madzi kunagwa kwambiri panthawi ya chochitikachi. CDOT ikuyerekeza kuti yagwiritsa ntchito ndalama zoposa $750 miliyoni pakukonza misewu kuyambira nthawi imeneyo. Maboma am'deralo agwiritsa ntchito ndalama zambiri.
Chigumula chitangochitika, ogwira ntchito anayang'ana kwambiri kukonza kwakanthawi misewu yowonongeka monga Highway 7. Malo otsetserekawo amathandiza kuti misewu itsegulidwenso, koma amawapangitsa kukhala pachiwopsezo cha nyengo yoipa.
St. Vrain Canyon ndi yomaliza pamndandanda wa CDOT wokonza zinthu chifukwa ndi imodzi mwa njira zoyendera zomwe boma silimayendetsa magalimoto ambiri pa Front Range. Imalumikiza Lyon ndi Estes Park ndi madera ang'onoang'ono angapo a m'mapiri monga Ellens Park ndi Ward. Pafupifupi magalimoto 3,000 amadutsa mumsewuwu tsiku lililonse.
"Anthu ammudzi kuno adzapindula kwambiri ndi kutsegulidwanso kumeneku," adatero Paddock. "Komanso ndi malo akuluakulu osangalalira. Amayenda kwambiri pa njinga ndipo asodzi ambiri amabwera kuno kudzagwiritsa ntchito mtsinje."
Kukonzanso kosatha kwa Highway 7 kunayamba mu Seputembala, pomwe CDOT inatseka kuti anthu asamaone. M'miyezi isanu ndi itatu kuyambira pamenepo, ogwira ntchito m'magalimoto ayang'ana kwambiri msewu wa makilomita 6 womwe unawonongeka kwambiri ndi kusefukira kwa madzi.
Ogwira ntchito anakonza phula lomwe linayikidwa pamsewu panthawi yokonza zinthu mwadzidzidzi, anawonjezera zitsulo zatsopano zotetezera m'mapewa awo ndikukumba ngalande zatsopano za miyala, pakati pa zina zomwe zinakonzedwa. Zizindikiro zokhazo zomwe zatsala za kuwonongeka kwa madzi ndi zizindikiro za madzi pakhoma la canyon.
M'madera ena, oyendetsa magalimoto amathanso kuona mitengo yambiri yomwe yachotsedwa pafupi ndi msewu. Woyang'anira wamkulu wa CDOT pa ntchitoyi, James Zufall, adati ogwira ntchito yomanga nyumba angafunike kukhazikitsa njira yotseka msewu umodzi chilimwe chino asanamalize msewu, koma udzakhalabe wotseguka kwamuyaya.
“Ndi chigwa chokongola, ndipo ndikusangalala kuti anthu akubweranso kuno,” anatero Zufar. “Ichi ndi chinthu chobisika ku Boulder County.”
Gulu la asayansi linagwira ntchito ndi ogwira ntchito yomanga kuti akonzenso mtunda woposa makilomita atatu wa St. Vrain Creek. Mtsinje unasintha kwambiri panthawi ya kusefukira kwa madzi, nsomba zinatha, ndipo chitetezo cha anthu okhala m'deralo chinatsatira.
Magulu okonzanso adzabweretsa miyala ndi dothi lotayidwa pansi pa mtsinje ndi madzi osefukira ndikumanganso zigawo zomwe zawonongeka kwambiri pang'onopang'ono. Chogulitsa chomalizidwacho chapangidwa kuti chiwoneke ngati mtsinje wachilengedwe pomwe madzi osefukira amtsogolo achoka pamsewu watsopano, anatero Corey Engen, purezidenti wa kampani yomanga mtsinje ya Flywater, yomwe imayang'anira ntchitoyi.
"Ngati palibe chomwe chikuchitika pa mtsinjewu, tikuyika mphamvu zambiri pamsewu ndipo tikuika pangozi kuwonongeka kwakukulu," adatero Engen.
Ntchito yokonzanso mtsinje inawononga ndalama zokwana madola 2 miliyoni. Kuti ntchitoyi ichitike, mainjiniya ankadalira miyala ndi matope omwe anali kale m'chigwa pambuyo pa kusefukira kwa madzi, anatero injiniya wokonzanso Stillwater Sciences Rae Brownsberger, yemwe analangiza za ntchitoyi.
"Palibe chomwe chinatumizidwa kunja," adatero. "Ndikuganiza kuti izi zikuwonjezera phindu lonse la kusintha kwa chilengedwe."
M'miyezi yaposachedwapa, gululi lalemba za kubwerera kwa mitundu ya nsomba zofiirira za mtundu wa trout kumtsinje. Nkhosa za Bighorn ndi nyama zina zakomweko nazonso zabwerera.
Palinso mapulani obzala mitengo yoposa 100 m'mphepete mwa mtsinje chilimwe chino, zomwe zithandiza kumanga nthaka ya pamwamba pa mtsinjewo.
Ngakhale magalimoto ambiri aloledwa kubwerera ku Highway 7 mwezi uno, okwera njinga ayenera kudikira mpaka nthawi yophukira kuti ayambe kugwira ntchito chifukwa cha ntchito zomanga zomwe zikuchitika.
Sue Prant, wokhala ku Boulder, anakankha njinga yake ya miyala pa tchuthi ndi anzake angapo kuti akayesere.
Msewu waukulu uwu ndi gawo lofunika kwambiri pa njira zoyendera njinga za m'madera osiyanasiyana zomwe anthu okwera njinga amagwiritsa ntchito. Plant ndi anthu ena ammudzi wa njinga adalimbikitsa kuti anthu ambiri akhale mbali ya ntchito yomanganso, adatero.
“Sindikudziwa kuti ndi lotsetsereka bwanji chifukwa lakhala nthawi yayitali,” iye anatero. “Ndi makilomita 6 ndipo zonse zili m’mwamba.”
Anthu ambiri okhalapo anati nthawi zambiri amakhutira ndi mawonekedwe omaliza a msewu, ngakhale kuti zinatenga zaka zisanu ndi zinayi kuti ukonzedwenso kwamuyaya. Pali anthu osakwana 20 m'dera la makilomita 6 omwe akhudzidwa ndi kutsekedwa kwa St. Fran Canyon kwa miyezi isanu ndi itatu posachedwapa, malinga ndi CDOT.
Barnhart anati akukonzekera kukhala moyo wake wonse m'nyumba yomwe adagula zaka 40 zapitazo, ngati chilengedwe chingalole.
“Ndili wokonzeka kuthetsa mavuto,” iye anatero. “Ndicho chifukwa chake ndinasamukira kuno poyamba.”
Mukudzifunsa kuti chikuchitika ndi chiyani masiku ano, makamaka ku Colorado. Tingakuthandizeni kuti muzitsatira. The Lookout ndi imelo yaulere yotumizidwa tsiku lililonse yokhala ndi nkhani ndi zochitika kuchokera ku Colorado konse. Lembetsani kuno kuti tionane mawa m'mawa!
Khadi la Colorado Postcard ndi chithunzi cha momwe mawu athu amamvekera bwino. Amafotokoza mwachidule anthu athu ndi malo athu, zomera ndi zinyama zathu, komanso zakale zathu ndi zomwe tili nazo kuchokera kulikonse ku Colorado. Mvetserani tsopano.
Zimatenga tsiku lonse kuyendetsa galimoto kupita ku Colorado, koma tidzamaliza mumphindi zochepa. Kalata yathu ya nkhani imakupatsani kumvetsetsa kwakuya kwa nyimbo zomwe zimakhudza nkhani zanu ndikukulimbikitsani.