Work to begin on Kebler Pass Road during peak fall colors

Intermittent closures throughout the day during construction

By Alissa Johnson and Mark Reaman

Beginning September 7, construction crews will begin repair work on Kebler Pass Road four miles west of Crested Butte in the Iron Fen bog area. Work will continue through mid-October, and travelers heading to and from the Paonia area should expect road closures and travel delays.

According to information provided by the Gunnison County Public Works Department, roadwork will take place between 8 a.m. and 5:30 p.m., Monday through Thursday and 8 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. on Fridays. The road will be closed in two-hour intervals and opened for travel for 30 minutes between each closure:

Closed 8 to 10 a.m.

Open 10 to 10:30 a.m.

Closed 10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.

Open 12:30 to 1 p.m.

Closed  1 to 3 p.m.

Open 3 to 3:30 p.m.

Closed 3:30 to 5:30 p.m.

Open 5:30 p.m. to 8 a.m.

The closures will take place at the winter trailhead just outside of town and at Splains Gulch.

A news release from the Grand Mesa, Uncompahgre and Gunnison National Forests explained that waiting traffic will be allowed to travel one direction at a time between closures, and travelers should expect delays of up to two hours.

The work will repair damage caused during the spring of 2015.

“In the spring of 2015, heavy rains and the instability of the upper slope required emergency repairs to prevent the road from washing out. This project involves stabilizing and reinforcing a cut bank and includes constructing a rock wall, installing buttressing and adding additional culverts to help prevent future damage to the road,” according to the release.

Lee Ann Loupe, Forest Service public and legislative affairs officer, said the road will be open without delayed traffic on weekends. “This will accommodate weekend fall color drives and still allow the necessary work to occur before winter,” she said.

At an August 29 special meeting, the Crested Butte Town Council expressed some concern about the plan, which originally had work going through 5:30 p.m. on Fridays. The council instructed interim town manager Bill Crank to contact the Forest Service and county to request that work be completed each week by early Friday afternoon.

“This will have a significant impact on the town,” said councilman Jim Schmidt. “September is the third largest sales month for the town. I know the roadwork has to be done, but I am very disappointed that the county and Forest Service did not talk to the town at all when planning this out. It won’t be that hard to figure out on this end, but vehicles coming from the other side of Kebler Pass over to here could have big delays.”

Schmidt also said weekend tourist traffic can be significant for fall colors. He suggested the work be completed by Friday each week at noon or 1 p.m.

“I think that’s the least they can do for us,” he said. “It only adds maybe two more days of work at the end and I think it is a reasonable request. I get that the work needs to be done, but we can make it work a bit better.”

“I agree with what you are saying,” said mayor Glenn Michel. “I think we need to be very careful to say that we are grateful the road is getting repaired. It certainly needs it. But I agree the communication with the town could have been a lot better.”

The council unanimously agreed to have Crank call the county and Forest Service to see if they would be open to altering the work schedule to allow traffic starting Friday afternoon and running through Sunday.

Crested Butte/Mt. Crested Butte Chamber of Commerce executive director Eliza Cress is not overly concerned with the plan but does expect to hear about it.

“My hope is that it will not have much of an impact. People who want to get here will still find their way. That being said, I fully anticipate hearing some negative feedback from people who did not get the message about closures until the last second,” Cress said.

“After all, Kebler Pass is a spectacular drive during the fall. I think the county and Forest Service have done a great job trying to get all of the information out to the public. However, it will certainly be a bummer for those who don’t do their homework before following Siri to their next destination,” Cress continued.

On Wednesday, August 31, the county issued a press release stating that work on Fridays in September would stop at 12:30 p.m.  According to Loupe, the timing of the project is dictated by the needs of the project. “Because of the water pressure and flows in that area, the work had to be scheduled when the flows and hydrostatic pressure are lowest (generally), which means late summer and early fall… There is really no good time of year to close Kebler with all the traffic it gets; however, the main concern for the timing was the water pressure and flow to allow the work to occur,” she said.

Loupe also confirmed that the Forest Service has been working in conjunction with the Army Corps of Engineers on the project, and a second phase will ultimately involve work to enhance the Iron Fen.

The Forest Service press release noted that Ohio Pass will be open throughout construction and can be used as an alternate route, but both the Forest Service and the Public Works Department emphasized that it will be open for light-duty traffic only. The route does not accommodate trailers or large trucks.

The Forest Service also noted that trucks hauling rock for the project will come through Taylor Canyon and Ohio Pass. For now, the agency anticipates that the project should be wrapped up sometime in October.