Three crashes foul commute on Highway 82 in midvalley
The good news for commuters in western Garfield County was the Grand Avenue Bridge finally opened at 5 p.m. Monday. The bad news is multiple crashes in the mid-Roaring Fork Valley impeded their ability to get there.
While details were limited Monday night, the Colorado State Patrol said there were three crashes in the midvalley that caused closures in the westbound lanes starting at 5:32 p.m. One accident involved a single vehicle while the other two involved “two or three vehicles,” according to Trooper Josh Lewis. No one was seriously injured, he said.
A commuter trying to get from Basalt to Carbondale said he was diverted onto eastbound Highway 82 at about 6:30 p.m. Both lanes of westbound Highway 82 were closed east of Catherine Road, he said.
No information was available Monday night on the cause of the crashes. Conditions were dry at the time. It was the first time that afternoon commuters were driving in the dark this fall on a weekday after clocks fell back for Daylight Savings Times.
Basalt Deputy Fire Chief Pete Bradshaw said one accident involved a rollover. He confirmed that crews responded to three accidents at three different locations. Basalt firefighters and medical personnel responded to an accident on Valley Road, which was being used as an alternative route Highway 82.
Lewis said Highway 82 reopened at 7:11 p.m.
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