Work to begin on Red Mountain Pass

The area where the massive rockslide happened at Ruby Walls on Red Mountain Pass in 2014 will be undergoing more work this month, according to the Colorado Department of Transportation. The pass will be closed for more than seven hours weekdays starting Tuesday for about a month as work is done in this area as well as other sections of the pass.

Courtesy of Dan Bender

×

The area where the massive rockslide happened at Ruby Walls on Red Mountain Pass in 2014 will be undergoing more work this month, according to the Colorado Department of Transportation. The pass will be closed for more than seven hours weekdays starting Tuesday for about a month as work is done in this area as well as other sections of the pass.

Courtesy of Dan Bender

If you’re planning to head over Red Mountain Pass in the near future, you need to know that delays and closures will be taking place.

“The Colorado Department of Transportation has worked to coordinate three separate projects on U.S. Highway 550 over Red Mountain Pass,” said Nancy Shanks, communications manager for CDOT’s Region 5, “and schedule them to create the least possible impact on travelers.

These three projects are in need of immediate attention this 2015-16 construction season for the safety of all travelers.”

The most significant impact will be the complete closure of the pass between 8:30 a.m. and noon and 1 to 5 p.m. weekdays starting Tuesday and continuing until Oct. 8. The pass will be open overnight and from noon to 1 p.m. weekdays during the monthlong project.

The closure will allow the San Miguel Power Association to repair downed power transmission lines that fell victim to the major rockfall in 2014 that closed the pass for almost a month. There is a possibility the work will extend past Oct. 8, depending on conditions.

Ongoing through Nov. 15, drivers should expect delays on the pass as traffic narrows to one lane in different sections 24 hours a day, Monday through Saturday.

One project, for rockfall fence maintenance, is budgeted to cost $15,000. CDOT crews will remove the mid-slope rock fall fence at Ruby Walls, clear captured debris and reinstall the fence. The project is expected to take about five working days.

The second project, repairing crib walls, will cost $5.7 million, and is being conducted by contractor Rock & Co. Three separate crib walls will be repaired, including rock excavation at one of the sites.

The work will be suspended once winter hits and will resume in the spring, with scheduled completion in May 2016.

abutler@durangoherald.com