Red Mountain Pass Near Ouray Opens To 24/7 Traffic
OURAY, Colo. (AP) - The Colorado Department of Transportation says U.S. Highway 550 near Ouray is open after crews cleared a rock slide that cut off Red Mountain Pass almost a month ago.
CDOT spokeswoman Nancy Shanks says the highway opened to single-lane, alternating traffic at about 8:30 p.m. Monday.
Crews were working on a 360-foot-long by 24-foot-high fence to keep more rocks from falling onto the roadway, which was closed after an initial slide Jan. 12.
The closure severed the only direct route from Ouray to Silverton, normally about a 25-mile drive. A detour over Dallas Divide and Lizard Head Pass added about 150 miles to the trip.
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