CDOT updates avalanche prevention work in Red Mountain Pass

On Monday, the Colorado Department of Transportation allowed media to see the area affected by avalanche prevention work near Telluride.

U.S. 550 through Red Mountain Pass has been closed since Saturday because of up to 60 feet of snow and debris covering a mile-long stretch of the highway.

The affected area is around 270 miles southwest of Colorado Springs.

CDOT, and some ski resorts, used explosives to knock down heavy snow accumulations on the mountains that could cause avalanches — the kind that have been common recently in Colorado’s ski country.

Equipment and personnel will be brought in from other CDOT regions to help with the cleanup effort, a spokesman said.

CDOT crews worked on 20 avalanche paths in three mountain passes Saturday.

Of particular concern is the West Riverside slide, which deposited more than 40 feet of snow and filled a snow shed — a concrete structure for avalanche control or to maintain travel in an area where snow removal becomes difficult or impossible.

Workers had the shed halfway cleared Monday. No timetable was given for reopening the affected section of U.S. 550.

More snow and strong winds are expected Wednesday in Colorado.

Three people died in avalanches last weekend, including a victim buried by snow from a roof. Eight people have died in Colorado avalanches this season.
The Colorado Avalanche Information Center has lowered the statewide risk from extreme to moderate. Pikes Peak, and the Highway 115 pass between Colorado Springs and Penrose, are included in an avalanche warning.