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Red Mountain Pass closed

A snowplow blocks traffic Monday at Coal Bank Pass for avalanche work.

Red Mountain Pass, closed by an avalanche Sunday night, is expected to remain closed throughout much of Tuesday, the Colorado Department of Transportation announced Monday.

A reopening time has not been set, said Nancy Shanks, CDOT spokeswoman in Durango.

Crews will bring down avalanches on the north and south sides of Red Mountain Pass on Tuesday, she said. Avalanche mitigation was done intermittently on Molas and Coal Bank passes Monday; chains were required on all commercial vehicles on Wolf Creek Pass late that afternoon.

Travelers may consult www.cotrip.com for real-time road conditions. On U.S. Highway 550, gates will be closed at Silverton and Ouray on Tuesday.

Shanks said people who use that stretch of Highway 550 might consider detouring on highways 160 and 145 over Lizard Head Pass instead.

Avalanche danger is “high” in the San Juan and Uncompahgre national forests, the Colorado Avalanche Information Center said.

The San Juan Mountains could receive 5 to 8 inches of snow Monday night, 3 to 5 inches Tuesday and 1 to 3 inches that night, Shanks said.

daler@durangoherald.com

Mar 2, 2015
Snow forecasting gone awry


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