ASPEN, Colo. (AP) - The Colorado Department of Transportation has announced the highway over Independence Pass near Aspen will remain closed until at least June 1 amid the coronavirus pandemic, and the road to the top of Mount Evans west of Denver won’t open until at least the beginning of July.
Highway 82 over Independence Pass usually opens the Thursday before Memorial Day weekend, which would have been May 21 this year. But multiple counties requested the closure be extended to curtail unnecessary travel, The Aspen Times reported.
“CDOT understands the COVID-19 pandemic has created a unique situation and we support Pitkin County, Lake County, the Independence Pass Foundation and the Forest Service in keeping the communities safe and in control of visitors to these counties,” the department said in a statement.
Several reasons led to the extension request, including the U.S. Forest Service’s decision to keep national forest facilities such as bathrooms closed, said Brian Pettet, Pitkin County’s public works director. Lodging in Pitkin and Lake counties has also been closed, and opening the pass could send a mixed message, he said.
It would be a loss for the environment to have travelers pursuing recreational activities without open facilities, Pettet said.
With the extended closure, transportation crews now have more time to clear snow to the summit and perform additional duties such as repairing pavement and replacing guardrails.
It’s unclear when the highway will reopen, but the department is working with partnering agencies to determine a date, transportation spokeswoman Elise Thatcher said.
The road to the top of Mount Evans is typically open by Memorial Day weekend, but officials with the U.S. Forest Service, the state transportation department and Denver Mountain Parks worry it would be difficult for tourists to practice social distancing on the 14,264-foot (4,348-meter) summit. More than 200,000 people from all over the world visit the summit while the road is open, usually from Memorial Day weekend to Labor Day weekend.
Officials are not planning to bar hiking and biking on the highway.
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