Independence Pass closes for the season
Colorado Highway 82 over Independence Pass is the highest paved state highway in Colorado.
9News
Karin Teague/Courtesy photo
PITKIN COUNTY —Independence Pass between Lake and Pitkin counties has closed for the season.
Colorado Highway 82 over the pass first closed Sunday, Oct. 23 due to a winter storm. The closure has been extended into a winter closure on Friday, Nov. 4, according to the Colorado Department of Transportation.
Independence Pass usually closes in November for the winter season because plowing the steep switchbacks is not safe during winter months and sections of the roadway are exposed to significant avalanche hazards, CDOT said.
Colorado Highway 82 over Independence Pass is the highest paved state highway in Colorado, crossing the Continental Divide at 12,095 feet.
CDOT typically reopens the Independence Pass on the Thursday prior to the Memorial Day holiday weekend, weather permitting.
Read more on 9News.com.
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