The National Weather Service Grand Junction forecast predicts several inches of snow through Friday for southwest Colorado’s mountain corridors.
To decrease the chances of avalanche danger along high mountain passes, the Colorado Department of Transportation will conduct winter maintenance operations on several highways.
US 160 Wolf Creek Pass east of Pagosa Springs:
US 160 Wolf Creek Pass will close this morning at 5:30am so that crews can perform winter maintenance operations. Westbound traffic will be stopped just west of the ski area at the pass summit (MP 167) and eastbound traffic will be stopped near Treasure Falls (MP 157). Do not attempt to bypass the closed gates. Maintenance operations will last for much of the morning, the exact time of reopening the highway is not known.
US 550 Mountain Corridor between Durango and Ouray:
Beginning at 8:00am this morning, winter maintenance operations are planned for Coal Bank Pass, Molas Pass and Red Mountain Pass. Crews will make an effort to allow traffic through intermittently however, closures along the US 550 mountain corridor will last the majority of the day.
US 50 Monarch Pass between Gunnison and Poncha Springs:
US 50 Monarch Pass has two potential winter operations scheduled for 12:00 noon and 5:00pm today. Both closures could last up to 3 hours depending on weather conditions. Westbound traffic will be stopped near the town of Monarch (MP 205) and eastbound traffic will be stopped west of Monarch Ski Resort (MP 200).
CO 145 Lizard Head Pass between Rico and Ophir:
CO 145 will be closed at several locations between the towns of Rico and Ophir (MP 48 – MP 65) for much of today. Crews will attempt to allow traffic through periodically as the winter maintenance operations allow. There are no estimated delay times as they are dependent on weather conditions.
With significant snow accumulations and high winds forecasted for the area, travelers should be aware that additional maintenance work and safety closures may be implemented on many southwest Colorado highways for the remainder of the week.
Travelers are urged to “know before you go.” Gather information about weather forecasts and anticipated travel impacts and current road conditions prior to hitting the road. CDOT resources include:
Road conditions and travel information: www.COtrip.org