Extensive rockfall mitigation project will affect traffic this summer on Highway 133

Rockfall mitigation will be undertaken throughout spring, summer and fall on Highway 133 between Carbondale and McClure Pass, the Colorado Department of Transportation announced Friday.

Work will begin on April and continue until mid-October. Work will take place at five separate sites.

The project will include bringing rocks down by pry bars and other equipment, excavating and blasting, installing rockfall wire mesh, constructing catchment structures and stabilizing other rocks. CDOT will also conduct erosion control and road repairs between mile markers 48 and 60.

Travelers can expect single-lane, alternating traffic from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday in the work zone. Work hours will likely extend beyond 5 p.m. as the summer progresses. Work may also extend into weekends.

There will be full traffic stops of up to 20 minutes at one or two of the work sites. In addition, there will be blasting at mile marker 48 over two or three days that will require fully stopped traffic in both directions for up to one hour. That blasting will occur in late August or early September.

A project website with details and maps is available at https://www.codot.gov/projects/co-133-mcclure-pass-rockfall.

“Colorado Highway 133 over McClure Pass has been a priority for rockfall mitigation in the area,” Regional Transportation Director Mike Goolsby said in a prepared statement. “We appreciate the patience of residents and visitors as CDOT completes this important work.”