Cameron Pass Now Open for Two-Way Traffic
JACKSON COUNTY — Over the weekend, crews from the Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT) working on the Cameron Pass emergency repairs project on State Highway (SH) 14 completed a temporary all-weather asphalt surface and opened the pass to two lanes of traffic. A permanent surface will be laid in the spring when warmer temperatures exist.
With the detour and traffic signal now removed, crews will clean the site this week and will pause the project for the remainder of the winter. Once the weather warms up in late spring, crews will be able to finish the project since the remaining work, including replacing the temporary asphalt pavement with permanent pavement, requires warmer temperatures. CDOT chose to use temporary asphalt to pave the highway because leaving the roadway unpaved for the duration of the winter would create unsafe driving conditions for motorists, but winter temperatures were too cold for permanent pavement mixtures.
Work has been underway since August on the west side of Cameron Pass near the town of Gould. Emergency repairs became necessary when melting snowpack deteriorated a 600-foot stretch of hillside. To stabilize the slope, crews removed the existing earth and are replaced it with dense Styrofoam-like blocks. The blocks are stacked tightly on top of each other and the space between each block filled with concrete, thereby holding the hillside in place and preventing further deterioration. The all-weather asphalt surface currently in place will last through the winter, and will be replaced with permanent pavement in the spring when temperatures are warmer.
The speed limit for the pass remains 25 MPH through the work zone so crews can finish cleaning the site. CDOT would like to remind motorists to obey all road signs and flaggers, and to drive Slow for the Cone Zone. Fines will be doubled for most infractions that occur in the work zone.
Duckels Construction, Inc. is the contractor for this $2.5 million project, which will be completed in early 2012. Questions about the project can be directed to Stacy Spector at 970-723-3756.
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