INDEPENDENCE PASS TEMPORARILY CLOSED

October 31, 2013 - Northwestern Colorado/CDOT Region 3 - Icy conditions and snow drifts up to four feet cause closure today, reopen pending weather

LAKE/PITKIN COUNTIES – The Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT) has closed Independence Pass today, at least temporarily if not for the season, due to the snowfall and adverse conditions. This closure includes the area from just east of Aspen to west of Twin Lakes, approximately 18 miles.

CDOT crews will determine later today or this evening if a re-opening of the pass is feasible and safe. The target seasonal closure for the pass isNovember 7 each year.

Motorists are encouraged to check CDOT’s traveler information site atwww.cotrip.org, before heading out in winter conditions. For road condition information, the public may also call 511 from anywhere in the state.

The 12,095-foot pass is closed for the winter every year for the safety of the traveling public. It is often closed temporarily, if not permanently, before the goal date. Each spring, CDOT plans the opening of Independence Pass for Memorial Day weekend in May, weather permitting. The alternate route to Aspen during the months Independence Pass is closed is I-70 to Glenwood Springs, and SH 82 into Aspen.

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Ice and snow….take it slow!