Western Slope towns deal with washed out Highway 133
Our extra Colorado moisture this year has been something people love to reference as a great thing.
Many have said, "Oh we really have needed this." Well, know what Colorado has not needed? An entire highway to wash out.
Between Paonia and Somerset lies a stretch of Colorado 133 that had its culver overstuffed by water and mud and rocks and sticks, burst. The result was asphalt being washed out along with it and the culvert getting dumped downstream.
The nearby Western Slope towns are dealing alright, thanks to a small dirt path used by locals and anyone who needs to get to work on the other side, but for public traffic, they're having to take a detour that can up to two extra hours depending on the time of day.
CDOT has said the next steps for the washed-out road will be to get a temporary bridge installed by mid-June, so public traffic can make their way across again. And then get the permanent fix in place from that point on which will take months, according to the construction crew.
Lee Stahly, a longtime Somerset resident says he's deeply worried about the people, who make their money thanks to tourists coming through town, but personally appreciates the quiet that comes from being cut off from the major line.
"It's kind of nice not to have traffic, it's like an interstate," Stahly said, laughing. "But we should get it fixed as soon as possible."
CDOT has said it expedited this project to help get nearby towns back connected and is providing updates weekly.
It also had a series of shuttles going across the small dirt path around the broken road but has stopped sending them out because not enough people were using them to warrant keeping them down there.
The temporary bridge kit was expected to be shipped Friday and be in the busy hands of construction crews by next week.
