US state to turn fallen, house-sized boulder into tourist attraction

A boulder the size of a house that crashed across a state highway in Colorado last month is staying put.

State officials plan to rebuild the highway next to it, saving taxpayers money and possibly creating a tourist attraction.

State governor Jared Polis said Colorado will save about $200,000 (€177,000) by not blasting the 8.5 million pound (3.9 million kilogramme) boulder.

He said people will also have the opportunity to see the boulder dubbed Memorial Rock, after it fell on Memorial Day weekend.

NEW THIS MORNING - A giant rock has found a permanent home after a rock slide on a Colorado highway after officials say it's cheaper to build a new road around it. They've named "Memorial Rock" after the massive boulder rolled down the mountain side on Memorial Day Weekend. pic.twitter.com/dId3EYgsMr

— WeatherNation (@WeatherNation) June 5, 2019

It was the largest rock in a rock slide on Colorado Highway 145 near the town of Dolores on May 24 and ended up just off the road.

Colorado Department of Transportation says the total cost of fixing the road, adding a guardrail in front of the boulder and clean-up will be about 1.3 million dollars (€1.1m).

- Associated Press