US Highway 550 Red Mountain Pass will be closed on Saturday, December 6 and Tuesday, December 9 for winter maintenance operations conducted by the Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT). The closures are necessary to allow crews to perform safety-critical work in response to snow conditions.
On Saturday, December 6, delays will begin at 8 a.m. between Mile Points 80 and 81. Northbound travelers will encounter a closure about 10 miles north of Silverton at Mile Point 80.9, while southbound travelers will find a closure approximately 12 miles south of Ouray at Mile Point 81.5. Motorists should expect delays of up to 40 minutes throughout the morning.
The second closure is scheduled for Tuesday, December 9, starting at 10 a.m., with US 550 expected to reopen by around 2 p.m., depending on how the operations proceed. On this day, northbound travelers will be stopped near Ophir Pass Road (Mile Point 75.2), about five miles north of Silverton. Southbound traffic will be halted between Ironton and Chattanooga Mine (Mile Point 79.2), roughly 14 miles south of Ouray. CDOT advises motorists not to attempt bypassing the closure gates.
“Each year, US 550 Red Mountain Pass requires planned closures that allow maintenance operators the space they need to safely mitigate potential highway hazards,” according to CDOT. “Both planned maintenance closures and critical safety closures are updated in real-time on COtrip.org.”
Parking and recreating are prohibited between closure points during these operations, and backcountry users must remove their vehicles and leave before scheduled closure times.
Travelers are reminded that additional maintenance or safety closures may occur throughout the winter season as conditions require on highways in southwest Colorado. For current information on closures and traffic impacts, CDOT recommends visiting COtrip.org.
As an alternative route during these closures, motorists can use CO 145 through Lizard Head Pass. This detour adds about one hour of driving time for those traveling between Durango and Ridgway—a journey that covers approximately 150 miles and takes around three hours.
The alternate route includes:
– US 160 from Durango to Mancos
– CO 184 from Mancos to Dolores
– CO 145 from Dolores to Placerville
– CO 62 from Placerville to Ridgway
Motorists are encouraged to plan ahead and allow extra travel time or pass through closure points before designated times.
