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Independence Pass closes for the season after weekend storm

News News |

Staff report
The Colorado Department of Transportation, citing a foot of snowfall over the weekend, announced Monday that the Independence Pass leg of Highway 82 has been closed for the season. The pass typically re-opens the Thursday before Memorial Day.
Courtesy of CDOT

There’s only one way for motorists to get into and out of Aspen until late May.

The Colorado Department of Transportation announced Monday it has closed the Independence Pass winter gates on Highway 82 between Aspen and Twin Lakes for the season after a foot of snow blanketed the scenic bypass over the weekend.

CDOT closed the two-lane pass, which peaks at 12,095 feet, at 7 p.m. Friday and said it would examine whether to reopen it Monday morning.

After the weekend’s snowfall and meeting with the Colorado Avalanche Information Center to discuss avalanche mitigation, CDOT officials made the call to close the pass for the season.

The pass typically closes within the first two weeks of November, but it closed Nov. 17 in both 2016 and 2017, according to CDOT. In 2015, it closed for the season Nov. 4. The pass typically reopens the Thursday before Memorial Day, weather permitting.


For more info on Colorado road conditions, visit http://www.COTRIP.org.