Three major highway closures were still in place in southwest Colorado on Monday after torrential rain and flooding from the remnants of Hurricane Trudy tore into road shoulders, culverts and bridges across the Four Corners region, the Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT) said. More than a dozen emergency closures were declared in recent days, and CDOT said the three remaining closures involve critical roadway damage, not just high water.

Source: Colorado Department of Transportation via EIN Presswire

The biggest closure is US Highway 160 over Wolf Creek Pass, shut for 33 miles from north of Pagosa Springs to South Fork (mile points 150 to 183). CDOT listed damage at three sites: a failed culvert five miles north of Pagosa Springs that opened a sinkhole in the roadway, a damaged retaining wall near the Wolf Creek Valley Scenic Overlook, and three to four miles of shoulder damage and undercutting along the South Fork of the Rio Grande. It is not known when the highway will reopen, CDOT said.

Source: Colorado Department of Transportation via EIN Presswire

33 milesUS 160 closure over Wolf Creek Pass
12 milesCO 151 closure south of Chimney Rock
2,700-3,400vehicles a day that normally use Wolf Creek Pass
7 inchesrainfall reported in parts of the region

Wolf Creek Pass normally carries between 2,700 and 3,400 vehicles a day. With it closed indefinitely, travellers are forced to take an alternate route all the way through New Mexico, CDOT spokesperson Lisa Schwantes told the Colorado Sun. “That will add on a couple of hours to their commute,” Schwantes said. “U.S. highways and state highways are certainly the lifelines to all of the communities in rural Colorado.”

Source: KSUT / The Colorado Sun

Colorado Highway 151 was completely severed by the floodwaters. A segment of the road about seven miles south of the US 160 junction was washed away, and the highway is impassable between mile points 22 and 34, south of Chimney Rock. CDOT said it has begun planning emergency reconstruction, including a temporary access road for local residents and emergency responders, and advised residents not to use county or side roads to reach the closure area. The route is a critical corridor for communities including Ignacio, Tiffany, Allison and Pagosa Springs.

Source: Colorado Department of Transportation via EIN Presswire

The third closure is US 160 at the San Juan River Bridge near the Four Corners (mile points 1 to 18), closed to through traffic between Cortez, Colorado, and Teec Nos Pos, Arizona, since Friday evening after the river nearly rose to the base of the bridge. Inspectors must still assess the bridge before it can reopen, and CDOT said motorists should detour north on US 491 between Cortez and Monticello, Utah; Colorado 41 toward Bluff is not an alternative because of flooding impacts.

Source: KSUT / The Colorado Sun

Several other flood closures have reopened with controls in place. US 160 west of Pagosa Springs is carrying one-way alternating traffic, US 550 over Red Mountain Pass has reopened with one-lane alternating traffic after a temporary shoulder repair, and US 285 north of Monte Vista, Colorado 112 from Del Norte to Center and Colorado 17 from Antonito to the New Mexico line have reopened after inspections, CDOT said.

CDOT urged travellers to check conditions on COtrip before setting out, to avoid travel during flood warnings where possible and never to drive through flooded areas. “You do not know how deep or how fast the water is running,” the department said, noting that eight to 10 inches of water can float an average-sized car.