Two Rocky Mountain passes reopened to vehicles this week, marking the end of annual closures coinciding with the snow season.
Crews spent about six days clearing Guanella Pass, linking Interstate 70 and U.S. 285 in Clear Creek County, where snow was packed as deep as 5 feet. The county announced the completion of the work on social media Thursday afternoon.
Also on Thursday, the Colorado Department of Transportation reopened Colorado 82 at Independence Pass, which traverses Lake and Pitkin counties near Aspen and Twin Lakes.
Crews with CDOT and the Colorado Avalanche Information Center used explosives to trigger snow slides and cleared snow, ice and debris from the roadway May 12 to mitigate the risk of avalanches, according to a CDOT news release.
Trail Ridge Road in Rocky Mountain National Park reopening delayed amid snow
Maintenance workers also fixed guardrails, potholes and signs before the opening. Commercial and recreational vehicles 35 feet or longer remain prohibited on Independence Pass because of the curving, narrow layout of the road.
Plow drivers were continuing to battle wind and snow to clear Trail Ridge Road in Rocky Mountain National Park on Thursday night, and the road is expected to remain closed through the weekend, the park wrote in a social media post.
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