The Crested Butte News Serving the Gunnison Valley since 1999
Kebler, Ohio Pass and Highway 50 and 133 updates
By Mark Reaman
After weeks of dealing with major snow from last winter along with significant spring road washouts that kept Kebler Pass Road closed well beyond its traditional Memorial Day Weekend opening, the expectation is that the finishing touches will come together this week and the road will be fixed, dry and open by the weekend.
A geotechnical engineer and hydrologist reviewed repairs made by the county this week and looked at other areas of concern on the road that leads to the North Fork Valley. Gunnison County public works director Martin Schmidt said you should be able to connect with Paonia this weekend. “We had a good meeting with the engineering team on Tuesday and are now confident in planning to open the remaining portion of Kebler Pass Road (CR12) at 3 p.m. on Friday, June 23.
Kebler is just one of several roads that experienced damage in the region this spring. A portion of Highway 133 near Somerset collapsed in April, while the road work in Little Blue Canyon on Highway 50 has dragged on but will be open for the Independence Day holiday. Don’t expect to use Ohio Pass Road for another week or so.
On Monday, June 19 at 10 a.m., crews opened the temporary bridge on Colorado Highway 133 to traffic. The reopening of the roadway took place 10 days ahead of the contractual deadline. Contractor R.L. Wadsworth began the project on May 23. The process for this type of prefabricated bridge usually requires four months, but crews expedited the installation.
The damage originally began with a small sinkhole and lane closure near Somerset 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.
“I am thrilled with the quick installation of the temporary bridge on Highway 133,” said Paonia mayor Mary Bachran. “Both CDOT and R.L. Wadsworth have done a magnificent job completing this job 10 days ahead of schedule.”
With this bridge in place, the team is working to determine the best option for permanent repair. Any further traffic impacts for permanent repairs are expected to be minimal.
Meanwhile, Gunnison Forest District ranger Dayle Funka said Ohio Pass Road is not quite ready for heavy summer traffic. “Ohio Pass remains closed due to the snow on top,” she said at the end of last week “We collectively decided to keep it closed to allow Gunnison County to focus on Kebler Pass. I will continue to work with my staff and Gunnison County to align Ohio Creek road opening.”
Schmidt said the hope is to get Ohio Pass Road open before the holiday weekend. “Ohio Pass is still snowed in with more depth than we usually plow and will maybe be plowed open for the weekend of July 4th,” he reported.
As for Highway 50 between Gunnison and Montrose, the road will open for the July 4 holiday with no delays beginning June 30 at 5:30 p.m. The road will remain open through Wednesday, July 5 at 6:30 a.m., at which time regularly scheduled traffic impacts will resume.
