When the 8.5-mile road was completed in 1883, it included a toll gate, where Mears charged $5 for a wagon and team of horses, $2.50 for a trail wagon, and $1 for saddle animals.
The terrain is mountainous, and the road is riddled with dozens of hairpin turns. Crews worked from 6 a.m. to 4 p.m. to open the highway south of Silverton. There is no estimated time for opening Red Mountain Pass. Villegas thanked him.
Troopers say that 54 year old truck driver Rifat Podzic was driving a 2010 Peterbilt with a trailer on Colorado Highway 160 near mile marker 160 in Mineral County when the crash occurred. Red Mountain Pass is open year-round, but snow often closes it in the winter. Avalanches? Privacy Policy, Weather data from The Durango Herald and darksky.net, Red Mountain Pass has a legacy of death, but its allure lives on.
The frequent switchbacks mean drivers need to be alert at all times, especially since most of the road lacks guardrails of any kind. OURAY COUNTY The Colorado Department of Transportation will close RVs and semis regularly drive the pass. Ouray County Undersheriff Tammy Stroup said the accident was reported OURAY COUNTY, Colo. A 22-year-old Grand Junction man was killed after he drove off Highway 550 on Red Mountain Pass in southwest Colorado, the Durango Herald reports. No check!
He returned to work about a week later, in relatively good shape after suffering second-degree burns in the crash. Somehow, everyone survived, and the miracle was featured on NBCs Today show.
It took Kunz about three minutes to descend to the river. There are plenty of ghost towns to check out around the pass, as well as National Forests, hot springs, waterfalls, and more! If a trucks brakes fail due to overheating or excessive use going downhill, runaway ramps are the only way the truck will be able to stop.. In 1993, Fort Lewis Colleges assistant basketball coach George LeSaltz skid off Red Mountain Pass. CATEGORY: Red Mountain 4-13-13: 1: 4/13/13: Gemini, Stevens Pass Ski Area, WA: Two snowboarders caught, one partly buried. It started snowing. Red Mountain Pass is a notoriously dangerous stretch of road between Ouray and Silverton that winds up and down steep grades with a massive drop-off on one side. It hosts 23 varieties of evergreens, and wildlife that includes bighorn sheep, black bears, elk, deer, and mountain goats; the promise of possible sightings is another great reason to remain as alert as possible on this road. How Dangerous Is The Million Dollar Highway? RUNAWAY RAMPS:Two runaway ramps are located on the west side of Wolf Creek Pass for trucks traveling downhill and westbound. PO Box 529 DATE: Feb 25, 2021 |
Miraculously, the couple survived, though the husband told the Herald that their ensuing hospitalization somewhat marred their vacation.
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Though such attacks may sound like highway workers waging a futile, Braveheart-style rebellion against the cruel if indifferent tyranny of snow, the idea was to prompt avalanches in controlled circumstances so no people would be hurt.
And then the edge of the cliff and nothing but frozen air. This month, USA Today named the Million Dollar Highway one of the Top Ten Bucket List Road Trips a compliment to the beauty of Red Mountain Pass and an underhanded homage to its deadly track record.
This part of the drive is widely considered the most spectacularand the scariest. It is believed speed and possible brake fade/failure contributed to the crash. Silvertons main point of interest is the Durango & Silverton Narrow Gauge Railway, which operates a 52-mile ride on a historic steam-operated locomotive through the San Juan National Forest. Heres what you need to know if youre thinking of checking it out.
Driscoll emphasized. You have permission to edit this article. The Pennsylvania native and former coal miner had just been hired full-time by the Colorado Department of Transportation in November. As drivers eagerly await the lane expansion in the Gap on Interstate 25, so, too, might local and migrating wildlife searching for a safe cr, Spencer McKee is OutThere Colorado's Director of Content and Operations, often found reporting on outdoor recreation news. Winter maintenance work was also performed on US 550 Coal Bank and Molas passes today. Bayfield resident Eric Petranek plunged 330 feet off Red Mountain Pass on March 25, 2011. If you dont want to feel rushed, plan on a few hours. He called the dispatch center in Montrose and asked them to send a state trooper and sheriffs deputy to meet him up the pass.
In 1964, The Silverton Standard opined on the increased number of Negroes passing through as tourists since the passage of the Civil Rights Bill., The editor recalled his car trouble on Red Mountain Pass last Sunday. Use flashers to warn other vehicles of the trucks low speed. Mercedes mechanic shop impacted by string of burglaries. *Truck drivers should inspect their brakes at the summit, before descending the eight mile trip down the pass. When Cree called him to let him know he had stumbled upon an accident scene, Kleins mind wandered to other recoveries the young man from Europe who died by suicide, the motorcyclist who paid too much attention to the scenery that enveloped him and too little attention to the road. Original story, 5:00 p.m.: Red Mountain Pass is currently closed at mile marker 90 due to a fatal accident. |
This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Or, if youre anxious to get started on your million-dollar drive, simply take a short stroll around the town for a glimpse of its Old West origins, including miners cabins and a brick jail built in 1903, which intermingle with modern shops and restaurants. Another says the road cost $1 million to build per mile (an astounding total even as late as 1922). MID-1980S Vehicle plunges off of infamous Red Mountain Pass in Colorado Web1 dead after fatal accident on I-75 south. I wouldnt drive this in the winter time. Extensive mining in the area of Ouray, Red Mountain, Silverton and Telluride provided the impetus for the original construction of the toll road. Why was it deemed necessary to build the road? The Red Mountain Pass is not for the faint of heart! JERRY McBRIDE/Durango Herald 06/18/14- Red Mountain- Red Mountain Pass north of Silverton on U.S. Highway 550, offers motorists, beauty and danger at the same time. He was on a rock run up Highway 550 during a graveyard shift, checking for any boulders that might have tumbled onto the highway, when his trucks headlights shined on the toppled yellow sign with the black arrows showing drivers which way the zigging road zagged. The road turns especially perilous when wet or icy, so drivers will want to avoid it in winter. US 160 Wolf Creek Pass east of Pagosa Springs - Open, CO 145 Lizard Head Pass south of Telluride - Open. The light of day revealed what the dark of night had shrouded. Here are some other road trip planning tips youll need before you go. The towns at either end of the Million Dollar Highway are worthy of visits in their own rights.
One person died in an accident on Red Mountain Pass south of Ouray on Monday.
(CDOTs Shanks said the family later starred in a seat-belt commercial.). ), As you wind your way north, youll be rewarded with vistas of shimmering lakes, plus wildflowers and waterfalls in summer, and quaking golden aspens in the fall. The same tactical credit cannot be extended to civilians, whose existential anger at Red Mountain Pass apparently led some to wage open war on its road signs. Local News, DATE: Feb 25, 2021 Can You See The Northern Lights In Colorado? Laurie Budgar is an award-winning journalist specializing in lifestyle, health, travel and business, and contributes regularly to RD.com as well as other national magazines and websites. All Rights Reserved. Search and rescue crews assisted in retrieving one person from vehicle. Thats when Otto Mears, an entrepreneur who had already begun building a network of roads in the area in the 1870s, purchased a majority interest in the company. Just earlier this year, the route was closed due to a mudslide. OURAY COUNTY, Colo. (KDVR) The Ouray County Sheriffs Office says a man was hospitalized after the vehicle he was driving, plunged off of Red Mountain Pass Thursday morning.
Red Mountain Pass reopens after fatal accident, Elk or moose? |
High Peaks Media shared dash cam video captured by a truck driver showing the crash as well as the aftermath. Earlier that year, a snowslide killed Barrys colleague, Terry Kishbaugh, 28, a husband and father of three. Her superpower is making complex information not just easy to understand, but lively and engaging as well.
Along the way, youll see remnants of historic mines, as well as ghost towns that once housed the people who worked in them. CDOT resources include: January 2, 2023 - Southwestern Colorado - All other southwest Colorado passes are currently open after winter maintenance work completed, US 550 Red Mountain Pass to remain closed, https://www.codot.gov/news/2023/january/us550-red-mountain-pass-to-remain-closed, https://www.codot.gov/@@site-logo/siteLogo.png. Colorado Department of Transportation spokeswoman Nancy Shanks says no one has been killed by an avalanche on Red Mountain Pass since the agency started working with the Colorado Avalanche Information Center in 1992. The highway is open year-round and is used daily by commuters, local residents, trucking companies and visitors. Local News, DATE: Feb 16, 2021 A semi truck driver posted a video of him driving the road in 2019. According to CSP, from 2015 to 2019, there
A 22-year-old Grand Junction man was killed after he drove off Highway 550 on Red Mountain Pass in southwest Colorado, the Durango Herald reports. Snowfall starts in October. The drop is a sheer cliff in many parts. Because Red Mountain Pass connects Ouray to Silverton with a trip that takes roughly 45 minutes on a dry day, drivers prefer this route to the alternative around four hours due to the rugged terrain, requiring travel through Durango. Do you love this idea but live on the East Coast?
The Red Mountain Pass is scary, especially if you are nervous around heights. The Red Mountain Pass is a stunning mountain pass in Colorado and is a favorite among the adventurous cross-country travelers who are always in search of the next best view. Sign up for our daily email newsletter or to receive breaking news delivered to your inbox: Choose from several print and digital subscription packages, 2023 Durango Herald | What is the distance from the summit to the west base? In 1970, this was the site of a tragic plane crash that occurred just two miles north of the summit. Coffee samplers make great gifts for coffee-lovers and consumables are perfect for people who have everything. This is a developing story, and will be updated as more information is available. The team cleared a significant amount of snow and debris from several sections of the roadway along the entire US 550 mountain corridor. Mr. Podzic was ejected during this sequence.. Red Mountain Pass is 11,018 feet in elevation. Last year, USA Today pronounced the Million Dollar Highway from Durango to Ouray one of the Worlds 12 Most Dangerous Roads, a distinction Red Mountain Pass shares with the Highway of Death in Iraq and the Death Road in Bolivia. Later, their visits to members of their congregation over, they met and retraded their respective autos.. Even so, youll want to let your passenger do the gasping and gawking while you keep your eyes trained on the road. The majority occurred in dry conditions and involved only one vehicle. (2022 Crime Rates And Crime Stats). Two in-bounds skiers were caught in a slide on Kachina Peak, at Taos Ski Valley, on Jan. 17. If this sounds right up your alley, you should also plan a Tail of the Dragon road trip in North Carolina and Tennesseeanother bucket-list drive for thrill-seekers. Local News, DATE: Feb 15, 2021
about nine miles north of Silverton near the summit of the pass. Many of the mining towns that enjoyed prosperity during the gold and silver rush have long since been abandoned. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); Copyright 2023 Nexstar Media Inc. All rights reserved. As soon as I looked over the bank, I could tell, Cree said.
In February of 2021, a group of backcountry skiers set off an avalanche from a distance, otherwise known as a remotely triggered avalanche.
He recognizes its an unfortunate part of his job. Ouray, a town 13 miles north of Red Mountain Pass, is a beautifully historic Colorado mining town that has lots of hot springs and great breweries to enjoy. has raised over $12,000 of the $19,500 goal. See scheduled construction lane closures: Connect with @ColoradoDOT on social media. If its snowing, you should definitely be going below the speed limit. Click here to donate. A string of break-ins at a mechanic shop in Mercedes is impacting business, according to the owner. The mountain will be colder on the top than on the bottom, so keep that in mind when deciding what to wear. Is Colorado Springs Safe? Is Mulholland Drive Dangerous To Drive On?
This is an archived article and the information in the article may be outdated.
The pass straddles a divide that The Red Mountain Pass is affected by avalanches. Spring is a great time to trim all your extra body hair as the weather warms up. None of the occupants of those vehicles had survived.
In 2019, a 22-year-old was headed north around 11 pm and missed a turn near milepost 81, falling down the bank. If you are an inexperienced driver or have problem with heights, we do not recommend that you drive on this road.
The highway to hell also is responsible for a lot of miracles, according to the Herald.
The highway is currently closed while extrication efforts are underway. Red Mountain Pass is 25 miles long and takes about 40 minutes to drive the pass. 970-325-4412, Mailing address: WebFootage of US 550, Red Mt.
to minimize impacts to the traveling public. It was completely paved by 1935. Provides information about accidents, congestion, traffic cameras, work zones and other road conditions. Mears and his crews began blasting through solid rock, at an actual cost of up to $40,000 per mile. People stop in and ask, Why are there no guardrails? We explain theres no room because plows have to push the snow off the edge in winter, said Heidi Pankow, public relations manager for the Ouray Chamber Resort Association. Yellowstone vs Zion: Which National Park Should I Visit? | So are you brave enough to face the pinhead turns in order to reach the ultimate views?
It also is the dividing point between the San Juan and Uncompahgre National Forests, and separates the Las Animas River and Uncompahgre watersheds. Its also worth mentioning that this road is quite prone to avalanche and mudslides due to the steep terrain above the pavement. Check out these 20+ best manscaping products to make the process easier. Much like Red Mountain Pass, Loveland Pass can also be difficult to drive in the winter with a 7% grade. When drivers enter the Uncompahgre Gorge on the north side of Red Mountain Pass on U.S. Highway 550 near Ouray, there is danger above with falling rocks and ice, and the road narrows with no guardrails or shoulder in some sections to help keep vehicles from plunging 1,000 feet over the side of the road. PO Box 529 When the state of Colorado took over the road at the request of the counties in about 1920, the road was reconstructed on its present grade, well above the river and out of reach of flooding. The preliminary investigation shows the vehicle traveling westbound on 160 at a high rate of speed (unknown speed currently) down a steep grade. Maintain a low speed, in low gear. It is a common route for cross-country travelers enjoying Colorado, Utah, and neighboring states. Dont be reckless! WebDriver plunges 750 feet off Red Mountain Pass, requires helicopter transport. His job was to get down to the wrecked car to fmd out how many patients there were. Officials say it was due to a hazard on the job, but the towns of Ouray and Silverton insist an avalanche shed be built. ". They swapped cars to solve the difficulty. *Two runaway escape ramps are available forout-of-control trucks at mile points (MP) 162.5 and 161. Here are some essential items that can help keep you safe in an emergency. You can also engage your inner prospector in Silverton with a tour of the Old Hundred Gold Mine. This extended closure Klein sent Cree back up the u,000-foot pass to check the road and plow When Cree reached mile marker 89 and the bent-over sign, he pulled over to the side of the highway and got out of his truck.
Cree couldnt be certain, but he didnt think that sign was down two nights earlier Maybe Mitch, his co-worker, accidentally knocked it down while plowing the pass.
Red Mountain Pass, per mile, has the highest avalanche hazard on the North American Continent. Pass, traveling north from Silverton to Engineer Pass Rd., then views of the highway returning back, south to Silverton. For more on where to go and what to see around the country, check out our Ultimate American Road Trip Guide. CATEGORY: The story of Red Mountain is perhaps an amalgam of many of the western boom-and-bust mining cycles, and it took place in one In 2005, a minivan carrying six people careened over Red Mountain Pass, plummeting hundreds of feet down a 60-degree slope. Local News, DATE: Jan 3, 2023 In 2011, Eric Petranek, a Bayfield resident, drove off Red Mountain Pass, escaping his 330-foot plunge and flaming car with only second-degree burns. Local News, DATE: Mar 22, 2021 bound for Montrose last weekwent over the edge and down approximately Ouray County Undersheriff Tammy Stroup said a black vehicle drove off U.S. Highway 550 and landed in the creek below. These emergency escape ramps are located on the right side of the road and preceded by warning signs at each location. The area gets significant amounts of snowfall and because the roads are so narrow, plows must push the snow off the cliffs to keep the road open. It can be. CATEGORY: