To accommodate the annual Iron Horse Bicycle Classic, the Colorado Department of Transportation will close U.S. Highway 550 to vehicle travel for six hours on Saturday between Purgatory Resort and Silverton. Motorists are urged to seek alternate routes between 7:30 a.m. and 1:30 p.m., or travel through the closure points before 7:30 a.m.
Motorists traveling north to Silverton early Saturday are urged to allow ample travel time to make it past Purgatory before the closure begins, leaving Durango no later than 6:45 a.m. The closure point at Purgatory is 25 miles north of Durango and is an approximate 35- to 45-minute drive from Durango.
During the race, motorists headed south between Hermosa and Durango will be detoured from Highway 550 onto County Road 203 at Hermosa Creek to Animas View Drive. Northbound traffic from Durango to Purgatory will proceed along Highway 550 following traffic control personnel, signage and cones set in place. Motorists must obey all traffic control signage and personnel.
Motorists will also experience brief delays and traffic impacts Saturday morning in Durango, along north Main Avenue, as several waves of cyclists are set to depart from 33rd Street and East Second Avenue. The first group of 600 professional cyclists will depart at 7:15 a.m., followed by about 2,000 cyclists at 8 a.m.
With multiple bicycle events taking place over the holiday weekend, drivers are reminded and urged to watch for cyclists and drive safely. For the past several weeks, CDOT maintenance crews have been maintaining and sweeping the highway to clear the road of debris, such as gravel and rocks.
