US 550 Red Mountain Pass to remain closed

Travel Advisory

January 2, 2023 - Southwestern Colorado - All other southwest Colorado passes are currently open after winter maintenance work completed

Some mountain highways are still experiencing adverse weather and high avalanche danger. Travelers should be aware that additional maintenance work and safety closures may be implemented on many southwest Colorado highways over the next few days. Visit COtrip.org for the latest information on road closures and conditions. 

US 550 north of Durango

  • US 550 Red Mountain Pass, between Silverton and Ouray, will remain closed through the night due to high avalanche risk of natural slides hitting the highway. Crews have been working on the pass today and are scheduled to continue their winter maintenance efforts first thing tomorrow morning. There is no estimated time for opening Red Mountain Pass.

Winter maintenance work was also performed on US 550 Coal Bank and Molas passes today. Crews worked from 6 a.m. to 4 p.m. to open the highway south of Silverton. The team cleared a significant amount of snow and debris from several sections of the roadway along the entire US 550 mountain corridor.

US 160 Wolf Creek Pass east of Pagosa Springs - Open 

  • US 160 Wolf Creek Pass was closed overnight due to adverse weather and high avalanche danger. While the pass was closed, crews performed early morning winter maintenance operations. The roadway was cleared of snow and debris and then reopened by 8:30 a.m. 

CO 145 Lizard Head Pass south of Telluride - Open

  • CDOT performed winter maintenance operations on CO 145 Lizard Head Pass today from 6:30 a.m. to 1:15 p.m. Crews addressed several slide paths along the corridor from Rico to Ophir.

Know Before You Go

Travelers are urged to “know before you go.” Gather information about weather forecasts and anticipated travel impacts and current road conditions prior to hitting the road. CDOT resources include: