Snow, wind continue to limit travel on Pikes Peak
On Tuesday, KRDO NewsChannel 13 rode with the Pikes Peak snow removal crew for an inside look at the effort needed to keep the highway clear and the weather challenges faced this year.
Since late February, the peak’s summit, or upper sections of the 20-mile highway, have been open for only a week because of snow and wind.
“I’ve been working here eight years and this is one of the snowiest, windiest seasons I can remember,” said Chris Riley, a member of the crew.
Fellow crew member Luke Doyle agreed.
“It seems like it snows every other day,” he said. “Then it gets windy and we have to start over again. But we love this job.”
Snow removal on the peak goes beyond simply plowing the pavement. The upper highway section has switchbacks with steep drop-offs on one side, and deep snowdrifts on the other.
Crew use graders to knock down the drifts and plow them, while a shiny new snowblower hurls snow over the mountainside.
“It’s kind of like cleaning a flight of steps,” Doyle said. “You clean the top one, then you go down to the next one and clean what came down from above.”
The heavy, wet spring snow occasionally clogs the snowblower’s blades, and a crew member uses a shovel to clear away the snow.
There are seasonal differences in snow removal, Doyle said.
“In the winter, when the snow is dry and fluffy, we can clear from shoulder to shoulder on the highway,” he said. “But with the spring snow, it’s harder to move and we also have to clear the drainage ditches or melting snow will freeze on the road.”
It’s rare for the public to see the big snow removal equipment at work, and some tourists disappointed at being unable to reach the peak said watching the equipment would itself be a tourist attraction.”
“I think it’s a great idea,” said Glen Drysdale, of Littleton. “That’s part of the inner child in everyone, wanting to see how all of that snow is removed.”
On Tuesday, visitors were stopped at the 14.5-mile marker but later were allowed to advance to the 17-mile marker.
More snow was expected for the peak overnight Tuesday.
