US 160 Wolf Creek Pass to close early Saturday morning while crews perform maintenance

Winter Travel Alert

February 2, 2024 - Southwestern Colorado - Additional closures scheduled on CO 145 south of Telluride

Southwest Colorado - Motorists will encounter brief highway closures during the early morning hours on Saturday, February 3 along southwest Colorado mountain corridors forecasted to accumulate several inches of snow overnight. The Colorado Department of Transportation scheduled critical winter maintenance operations on US Highway 160 Wolf Creek Pass and Colorado Highway 145 Lizard Head Pass. Travelers are urged to plan ahead, allow for extra travel time, or arrive and drive through the gates before the designated closure times.

CDOT is continuing to monitor safety concerns including avalanche danger along southwest and south-central mountain passes and additional closures may occur throughout this storm system. Visit www.COtrip.org for the latest information on road closures and conditions.

US 160 Wolf Creek Pass, closure begins at 5:30 a.m.
Both eastbound and westbound motorists will encounter full stops and a delay of up to two hours. Motorists are urged to allow for extra travel time or seek alternate routes.

  • West Closure Point: Treasure Falls (Mile Point 157), 13 miles east of Pagosa Springs
  • East Closure Point: Wolf Creek Pass Ski Area (Mile Point 167), 19 miles west of South Fork

CO 145 Lizard Head Pass, closures begin at 8 a.m.

Both southbound and northbound motorists will encounter intermittent closures for much of the morning. Motorists are urged to allow for extra travel time or seek alternate routes.

  • South Closure Point: Rico ( Mile Point 47 ), 35 miles north of Dolores
  • North Closure Point: Trout Lake ( Mile Point 61), 10 miles south of Telluride
US 160 CO 145 closure map
Colorado Department of Transportation winter maintenance alert map of closures taking place Saturday, February 3 on US Highway 160 Wolf Creek Pass and CO 145 Lizard Head Pass.

Winter Travel Tips for Motorists

  • Avoid or limit driving during the brunt of the storm. Many areas of the state will experience pavement impacts and blowing snow due to strong winds.
  • Work from home if you can.
  • If you plan to travel, know before you go by checking out the latest weather conditions and visiting COtrip.org for road conditions (see info sources below).
  • Make sure your vehicle is winter ready with the appropriate tires for the weather and have a snow emergency kit.
  • Once you are out on the road, take it slow, no sudden stops and leave plenty of following distance.
  • Give plows space! Stay back three to four car lengths from snow plows.

Safety Closures

A safety closure is a precaution taken during inclement weather to reduce the probability of traffic incidents, increased congestion or other safety-related factors. During a safety closure, traffic may be stopped on the interstate, turned around or directed to an exit. Safety closures help decrease delay times, and, above all, keep travelers safe.

Chain and Traction Laws

When weather conditions warrant, CDOT will activate the Traction Law. If weather conditions deteriorate, CDOT will activate Chain Laws for passenger and commercial vehicles. Motorists will be alerted to an active Traction or Chain Law by highway signage, COtrip.org and traffic/roadway condition alerts. For more information on the Traction Law and Passenger Vehicle Chain Law requirements, visit codot.gov/travel/winter-driving/tractionlaw. For more information on the Commercial Vehicle Chain Law requirements, visit codot.gov/travel/colorado-chain-laws. To learn more and view helpful tips for winter driving, visit winter.codot.gov.

COtrip.org and COtrip Planner app

Motorists are urged to visit COtrip.org and download the COtrip Planner app ahead of traveling. Motorists are now able to sign up for travel alerts through COtrip.org to see if there are any highway closures or impacts along their favorite routes. The COtrip Planner app also offers a “Trip Planner” feature that allows motorists to map out their routes and receive updates about road closures or incidents along the way. Motorists can turn on the “Hands-Free, Eyes Free” feature to receive these alerts via voice notifications and avoid routes with impacts.

CDOT is also pleased to offer motorists the opportunity to track CDOT snow plows on the app and website, and can even follow some of our “celebrity” plows that were named by elementary school students last year. Using the snow plow tracker allows motorists to see where our plows have been and even see what the road conditions look like by viewing the cameras in the area of the plows. CDOT plows have thousands of miles of roadway to maintain, so motorists are asked to please be patient and are reminded to never pass a plow on the right or while in echelon formation. It is always safer to stay behind a plow.

Know Before You Go

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