Mountain passes should be open by Memorial Day weekend

Road to Gothic and Pittsburg already open

As an unofficial introduction to spring, the county has begun plowing the mountain pass roads of the Gunnison Valley. 

Gunnison County Public Works Director Marlene Crosby told the board of county commissioners at a regular meeting Tuesday, May 5, that the county’s road crew had managed to plow Gothic Road to the Gothic town site and was looking to new areas.
“They are moving to Kebler,” she said. “Their goal is to get to the gravel pit and then we’ll see how it looks before moving on up.”
Crosby told the commissioners the snow was melting quickly from the Paonia side of the pass and that the crew had been able to get above snow line since the snow had melted naturally on much of the road. A more committed operation is set to begin on Kebler Pass Road this week.
This week also marks the start of plowing operations by both Gunnison County and Chaffee County to open Cottonwood Pass.
Although the passes may be physically open by the end of next week, Crosby said they would be marked as closed until the layer of ice on the roads’ surface melts away.
“Barring a major storm, the two passes will be open for Memorial Day,” she said.