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Snow Delays Mount Evans Road Opening

CLEAR CREEK COUNTY, Colo. (CBS4)- Spring snow has delayed the opening of Mount Evans Road.

The Colorado Department of Transportation will not open the Mount Evans Highway to traffic by Memorial Day Weekend as originally planned. As of the end of the day Monday, CDOT crews were able to clear six miles of the 14.7 mile-long roadway.

State Highway 5 typically is opened to the summit on the Friday before Memorial Day. Despite CDOT crews working to clear the road to the top of Mount Evans, 14,264 feet, an additional four feet of snow has fallen this month. The snowfall would often cancel out previous clearing operations that began April 28.

Mount Evans Road
CDOT delayed the opening for Mount Evans Road because of snow (credit: CDOT)
Mount Evans Road
(credit: CDOT)
Mount Evans Road
(credit: CDOT)
Mount Evans Road
Mount Evans Road on Tuesday (credit: CDOT)
Mount Evans Road
(credit: CDOT)

Mount Evans is the highest paved road in North America.

"Our crews have been working diligently to get the roadway cleared of snow and ice but we clear it one day and then the road is covered up again with snow the next day after another storm comes in – it's been happening all month," said CDOT Region 1 Transportation Director, Tony DeVito in a statement. "Most years, it's not a problem to get the entire road open in time for Memorial Day but with the holiday occurring earlier in the month and the the wet, heavy snow we've gotten up there this spring, it has been quite the challenge."

CDOT does not have an accurate reopening date for the Mount Evans Road.

In addition to snow removal, CDOT's emergency repair of State Highway 5 will continue next week. The project will stabilize the eroding roadway above Lincoln Lake. About three weeks worth of work remain.

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