ASPEN – Colorado transportation officials will close Highway 82 over Independence Pass for the winter on Friday, effectively turning Aspen into a city at the end of a proverbial cul-de-sac.
The road is typically closed for late fall, winter and early spring. Friday’s 7 p.m. closure would be the latest since 2016, when the winter gate about 5 miles east of Aspen closed on Nov. 17. The pass represents about a 32-mile stretch of Highway 82 located between Aspen and Twin Peaks that tops out at a 12,095-foot summit.
Colorado Department of Transportation spokeswoman Elise Thatcher said that the road typically reopens for the summer the Thursday before Memorial Day weekend, depending on the weather.
In 2020, the road did not open until June 1 because of concerns from the coronavirus pandemic, The Aspen Times reported.
“CDOT understands the COVID-19 pandemic has created a unique situation and we support Pitkin County, Lake County, the Independence Pass Foundation and the Forest Service in keeping the communities safe and in control of visitors to these counties,” CDOT said in a statement in May. “We will tentatively plan on opening Independence Pass, on Colorado 82, on June 1, but can adjust if these agency partners need us to.”
In 2019, the pass opened after a week’s delay because of avalanches, which caused slides on both sides of the road and damaged a guardrail.
