The Colorado Department of Transportation will perform target practice Thursday on Red Mountain Pass using a howitzer gun.
It is the second week in a row the highway department will calibrate its aiming strategy on the section of highway, which has proven vexing for crews trying to trigger avalanches, said Lisa Schwantes, spokeswoman for CDOT. The crews have switched out howitzers and need to test the sights on the newer gun, CDOT officials said.
“When they shoot the gun, the target is in a blind spot – they cannot see it from the roadway where they launch,” she said, noting the some control work during the snow season had not been as successful as hoped.
The guns do not have digital technology. To aim, old-fashioned sights are used with calculations of distance and elevation. Crews will perform test shots with the newer equipment Thursday morning with a helicopter acting as a spotter to see where the projectiles land, Schwantes said.
The pass will be closed from 7:30 a.m. to noon Thursday, from Ironton (mile post 87) to two miles south of Ouray (mile post 92) for the testing. A similar closure occurred April 5.
shane@durangoherald.com
