Beavers still giving CDOT a challenge

ASPEN ” For now, the Highway 82 score is still beavers: 1, CDOT: 0

But, thanks to a pump, water from a beaver pond is no longer running across the highway and the adjacent bike path east of town, according to Colorado Department of Transportation spokesman Les Stanton.

The pump equipment is taking up a lane of the road, though, so traffic is still slowed through the area. And, CDOT has not yet been able to clear the culvert so that water can flow through it.

On Saturday, debris from a beaver dam lodged into the 24-inch diameter culvert that runs beneath Highway 82 and the bike path. CDOT responded at about 1 p.m. to reports of water running across the highway.

Crews have been unable to clear the upper part of the culvert because of the deep water covering it. They want to be able to see the culvert before working on it, since utility lines run across it.

Crews have not yet located the upper end of the pipe, according to Stanton. When they find it, they hope to be able to remove the blockage.

If the pipe opening is damaged beyond repair, workers may just open up the top of the culvert and let water drain into it from above, Stanton said.