Trail Ridge Road Repairs Print E-mail
Wednesday, 23 May 2007
 Trail-Ridge
Trail Ridge Road, Rocky Mountain NP

Trail Ridge Road is open for the season! (NPS: Friday, May 25)

(From Rocky Mountain National Park Vistas, NPS, Spring 2007) 

Trail Ridge Road, the highest continuous paved road in the continental United States, celebrates its 75th Anniversary in 2007. This awe inspiring road needs work that is long overdue. Critical repairs such as resurfacing the road from Deer Ridge Junction to Rainbow Curve, and six roadway slump repairs between Forest Canyon Overlook and the Colorado River Trailhead, are scheduled for the 2007 season.

Because Trail Ridge Road reaches an elevation of 12,183 feet, the only time to do work is during the summer. Park Service staff and the contractor will do their best to complete this major roadwork in a timely manner, on budget, and allow access to visitors.

Delays and closures

From May 29 through June 29, resurfacing work will take place from Deer Ridge Junction to Rainbow Curve. During this phase, park visitors can expect 20 to 30 minute delays. There may be multiple areas of construction occurring concurrently and in that case the combined delay time will not exceed 60 minutes.

From July 5 through the end of the season, slumps will be repaired. Night closures from Forest Canyon Overlook to Alpine Visitor Center will be in effect from 10:00 p.m. through 6:00 a.m., beginning Sunday evenings and ending Friday mornings. Night closures will not occur on Friday and Saturday nights. Due to high traffic on Trail Ridge Road during the day, night work is the only way the contractor can finish the project during the summer. Federal Highway Administration counters located at Forest Canyon have indicated only a dozen vehicles typically travel over Trail Ridge Road during these times. From July 5 through the end of the season, in addition to night closures, park visitors can expect 20 to 30 minute delays on Trail Ridge Road. There may be multiple areas of construction occurring concurrently, and in that case the combined delay time will not exceed 60 minutes. Although the majority of work will be done at night, some work, such as resurfacing, can only be done during the day due to temperature requirements.

All closures apply to cyclists as well. Cyclists should be prepared for rough road conditions.

 
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