MARBLE — Highway 133 over McClure Pass will be closed indefinitely after an avalanche struck Monday, and the threat of additional slides forced a cautious approach by highway maintenance crews.

“It’s really bad. Slides have come down,” said Colorado Department of Transportation spokeswoman Nancy Shanks. “It’s not safe right now to do the work they need to do.”
There were no reports of the slide catching any travelers. Shanks talked to the head of the maintenance crew in that area Monday morning and learned they weren’t able to remove the snow from the initial slide or slides yet because of concerns of triggering additional avalanches.

The road was blocked at mile marker 40, near the top of McClure Pass, she said. The area reported 17 inches of snow Sunday and Sunday night.

Crews hoped to perform avalanche control work later today, remove the debris and eventually open the road. Shanks said it is uncertain how long that work will take.