The Crested Butte News Serving the Gunnison Valley since 1999
The Colorado Department of Transportation has secured a contractor for emergency repairs on a damaged section of Colorado Highway 133 north of Paonia. CDOT will continue to negotiate details and a schedule with contractor partner Ralph L. Wadsworth with the goal of having work up and running as soon as safely possible.
Crews will conduct emergency repairs where the road is currently closed due to significant road damage. A key element in the repairs will be placing a temporary bridge. The temporary bridge will allow CO 133 to reopen to motorists. Permanent repairs to the damaged section of CO 133 are anticipated to begin once the temporary bridge is installed, hopefully in June.
A safety closure has been in place on CO 133 since Tuesday, May 2 at Mile Points 14-19. The safety closure is due to significant road damage. The damage originally began with a small sinkhole and lane closure during the weekend of Saturday, April 29. Major flooding from nearby Bear Creek early the week of May 1 filled a culvert with debris and flooded the roadway, pushing the culvert through the other side of the road and eroded roadway embankment, causing the road to collapse. The damage and safety closure are near Somerset, just north of Paonia. Access to Somerset from the north, via CO 133 McClure Pass, continues to be open.
Travelers that are not residents in the area are encouraged to use COtrip.org for planning an alternate route around the area. Motorists traveling to the Colorado Highway 82 (Roaring Fork Valley) or Interstate 70 can detour around the closure via US Highway 50 and I-70. All real-time travel impacts will continue to be posted to COtrip.org
