US Highway 550 between Durango and Silverton will be closed in both directions for four hours daily from August 25 to August 28. The closure will take place from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. each day, affecting the section of highway at Coal Bank Pass, between Mile Points 56 and 63.
Northbound vehicles will be stopped just north of the Coal Bank Pass overlook and Pass Creek trailhead (Mile Point 56.6), while southbound traffic will be stopped at Andrews Lake Road (Mile Point 63). The closures are required so crews can install a new culvert under the roadway near the summit of Coal Bank Pass. Access to the Pass Creek/Engineer Mountain trailhead parking area, Coal Bank Pass overlook, and restrooms will remain open during this period.
Motorists are advised to plan their travel around these times or use an alternate route via Colorado Highway 145 through Telluride. Drivers should also expect full stops and delays of up to 20 minutes at two traffic signal locations between Mile Point 56 and MP 60 throughout the project.
According to the Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT), since May 12, crews working on the US 550 Rockfall Mitigation and Wall Replacement project have carried out slope excavation, rock removal, and transported excavated material to a stockpile near Andrews Lake (MP 62.7). CDOT reports that stabilization work on the sub-grade under the roadway at Coal Bank (Mile Point 56.9), just north of Engineer Mountain Trailhead, is finished. Crews are now focused on installing a culvert and building a new retaining wall under the highway.
“Scaling is the removal of loose and unstable rocks from slopes, cliffs and steep terrain,” according to CDOT.
For more information about this project, contact the project team by phone at 970-718-5148 or email [email protected]. Project updates can also be found online at codot.gov/projects/us550wallreplacement.
