CDOT brings in extra crews to expedite Independence Pass opening
Officials haven't confirmed opening
The Aspen Times
Austin Colbert/The Aspen Times
Independence Pass is about to emerge from its long, winter slumber.
The stretch of Colorado Highway 82 crossing the 12,095-foot Continental Divide usually opens for Memorial Day weekend, but the Colorado Department of Transportation will not confirm an official date until maintenance crews complete their final work.
“The biggest driving factor to determine the opening day is when our maintenance teams have completed the necessary safety improvements and repairs on the roadways,” CDOT northwest communications manager Chuck Marsh said in a prepared statement.
Marsh said extra crews are being brought in to help expedite the process.
The maintenance crews told Marsh last week that the road itself was in good shape upon first look. But there are still projects to finish.
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“These include repairing or replacing a significant amount of guardrail in strategic locations, fixing potholes, ensuring the integrity of the road shoulder, and clearing out ditches and culverts of debris to enable proper water drainage,” he said.
The crews will also replace any damaged signs and do “paint striping.”
CDOT does thorough maintenance to ensure that the roadway is in the best condition for travelers once it opens.
“That is not something we will compromise on,” he said. “Travelers can rest assured that when we do in fact open the road that as long as they follow posted speed limits and drive to conditions, that the road will be as safe for them as we can make it.”
However, any opening dates CDOT provides are completely weather conditional, Marsh said.
“This is the mountains of Colorado, and we know weather can fluctuate from hot and sunny one day to six inches of snow the next,” he said.
The snowpack on the pass was significantly lower this year, with the pass’ snow depth plummeting from 60 inches on March 19 to zero inches this past Thursday, according to the Independence Pass SNOTEL data. That’s the earliest the site recorded zero inches of snow since 2018.
“That’s the good news and the bad news,” said Karin Teague, executive director of the Independence Pass Foundation, on the mild winter’s lesser impact on road maintenance and indication of climate change.
Teague added that the pass’ imminent opening to vehicles will pose a renewed danger to cyclists who use the road.
“If you choose to ride it, ride very carefully,” she said. “Be aware that there are areas of the road that are very narrow. Cars aren’t alway going to be able to give the required three feet.”
She suggested cyclists ride single file and that they avoid riding the pass on weekends as it becomes more popular for drivers.
“But that’s hard to say as we get into the summer season,” she said. “It’s busy all the time.”
