Independence Pass Might See Earliest Season Opening on Record
Independence Pass might open the earliest it has ever on record, according to the Colorado Department of Transportation.
Above-average temperatures and low snowpack levels have prompted a tentative Indy Pass season opening of April 28. Historically, the high-mountain route between Aspen and Twin Lakes tends to open around Memorial Day, with the previous record for the earliest opening set on May 11, 2012.
CDOT crews plan to begin resurfacing and conduct bridge updates on the east side of the pass on April 21. That same day, a CDOT maintenance team and avalanche experts from the Colorado Avalanche Information Center will begin snowpack assessments to determine whether the road can safely open the following week.
“The day that the Colorado Department of Transportation decides to actually open the pass will be a deduction from what the Colorado Avalanche Information Center and the CDOT winter maintenance folks come up with,” said CDOT Northwest Communications Manager Chuck Marsh. “They have to get out there, do their testing and their surveys, and figure out what the snowpack looks like and what it looks like underneath it.”
Once those evaluations are complete, a firm opening date will be announced. Even the possibility of an April 28 opening is considered highly unusual. This year’s early access is due in part to below-average snowpack levels. According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Weather and Climate Center, snowpack in the Roaring Fork Valley is at 75% of the normal — which is well below normal levels.
Lucas Boyer, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Grand Junction, said snow could still fall on the high peaks — up to 3 inches is expected on Saturday, coinciding with Snowmass’ closing day. But long-range forecasts show a concerning trend.
“Our models are showing some drought development between now and June 30,” Boyer said. “That is delineated across the state. To the north, there should be no drought, but the further south you get, the higher the chances that drought activity will be a possibility. We are on the fringe for increased temperatures as well. We are going from 50% to 60% chances of being warmer than normal to chances being more than likely to see warmer temperatures.”
Boyer noted that drought predictions are closely tied to snowpack totals. Areas north of Interstate 70 are expected to fare better than those to the south — Aspen among them.
Regardless of when the pass opens, travelers should be prepared for construction delays. The April 21 launch of significant resurfacing and bridge improvements on the east side of the pass, near the intersection of Colorado Highway 82 and U.S. Highway 24, is expected to last through October.
The work zone stretches from mile point 78, one mile west of Twin Lakes, to the junction with Highway 24 at mile point 85.3.
“We are going to be working where Highway 24 and 82 intersect,” Marsh said. “From that intersection, the work will run through Twin Lakes and then about a mile past that. I believe it’s about six miles in total.”
Crews will mill and repave the highway, replace aging guardrails, and rehabilitate the bridge over Lake Creek at mile point 84.3. The bridge work includes deck repairs and updated rails to improve long-term safety.
“When work is ongoing, it will affect traffic,” Marsh said. “Lanes will be closed intermittently, and it will stop traffic, but we have a rule that we will not stop traffic for longer than 20 minutes at a time. We will be doing alternate lanes because we know this will affect summertime traffic, but we are hoping to eliminate as much of that as possible.”
By: Westley CrouchI The Aspen Times I April 16, 2025