Independence Pass will close this evening (October 30) at 7 p.m. because of weather and could remain closed until spring.

Colorado Department of Transportation announced plans to close the gate on Highway 82 earlier this afternoon. CDOT had hoped to keep the road open longer this season because of traffic back-ups created with the construction of the Grand Avenue bridge in Glenwood Springs. Snowplows had been working to keep the road clear but decided that the forecast wasn't going to allow the road to remain that way.

The highway crosses the Continental Divide in The Sawatch Range and at an elevation of 12,095 ft is among one of the highest roads in the state. CDOT will continue to monitor the weather to see if the road will indeed remain closed.  If so, it's the earliest Independence Pass closure since 2011, when it closed Nov. 2. The latest the Pass closed since then was Nov. 17 in 2016

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