Thursday Still Target Opening Date For Independence Pass

LAKE COUNTY, Colo. (CBS4)- The Colorado Department of Transportation is still working nonstop to open Independence Pass by Thursday.

CDOT crews have been working from daylight to dark in an effort to clear the way to open State Highway 82 at noon on Thursday.

Last week, CDOT crews worked with the Colorado Avalanche Information Center to perform avalanche mitigation to clear about a dozen slide paths that could impact the highway.

CDOT said a lot more work needs to happen before the opening including:

• Clearing avalanche slide paths (up to 12 total)
• Clearing snow, ice and other debris (from slide paths) from the roadway and shoulders
• Moving concrete barriers before clearing ditches
• Hauling out loads of rock debris from the ditches
• Blading asphalt millings on the shoulders to set barrier
• Resetting barriers and replacing any additional that may have been damaged (much of the damaged barrier is recycled for other public agency use, saving disposal costs)
• Repairing/replacing signs, guardrail and roadside delineators
• Trimming trees and brush
• Patching potholes
• Striping the highway

"Once we clear the highway and ensure the safety of the slide paths, any repair work can begin," said Tim Holbrook, Transportation Maintenance Supervisor that covers the Aspen side of the pass, in a statement. "Sometimes our only chance of getting much needed maintenance work completed, including filling potholes and removing rocks that have made it to the highway over the winter, is right after we get the pass cleared of all the snow."