In response to an incoming storm, the Colorado Department of Transportation has made the decision to close Independence Pass on Saturday at 4 p.m. 

Independence Pass, the stretch of Highway 82 extending from Aspen to Twin Lakes, is forecasted to begin getting snow on Sunday evening. On Friday, OpenSnow was forecasting between 1 and 3 inches of snow in the Independence Pass area. CDOT also noted that forecasted winds are part of the motivation to close the pass to travel, which may be hazardous over the weekend. 

“Recognizing the access Independence Pass provides for Pitkin County residents, visitors, and others, our maintenance teams consider several factors when deciding whether to close the pass — whether for a short-term storm event or the full seasonal closure,” Jason Smith, CDOT’s regional transportation director for Northwest Colorado, said in a press release. “Of all the factors involved, the safety of the traveling public and our CDOT personnel remains paramount.”

Ahead of the closure, CDOT staff and law enforcement from Lake and Pitkin counties will do a sweep of the roads connected to Independence Pass to ensure that no cars or people get stranded by the closure. Once they deem the area clear for closure, Lake and Pitkin counties coordinate to close the gate at the same time. 

“Both sides of the pass have to coordinate because there is a winter closure gate on the other side of the pass,” Karin Teague, executive director of the Independence Pass Foundation, said. “CDOT will coordinate on both sides. The counties each have their own CDOT staff, so they will close the gates at the same time.”

CDOT will reevaluate the pass on Tuesday morning to determine whether it can be reopened. As of Friday, OpenSnow was forecasting cold temperatures on Tuesday and light snow throughout the evenings on Tuesday and Wednesday. 

If CDOT determines the pass is safe for plows to work, then it is possible the pass will reopen for the fall. If it is not deemed safe, then the pass will close for the rest of the winter.

“If it’s a storm that is looking to pass fairly quickly with manageable results, then our maintenance team will go out the next day and assess the pass,” CDOT Regional Communications Manager Chuck Marsh told The Aspen Times in October. “If they can safely plow the pass and open it back up, they will. If there are going to be continual storms and keeping the pass open safely is not feasible, then we will close it for the season.”

The pass is currently experiencing one of the latest closures in the past decade. The latest closure date since 2015 occurred in 2016 and 2017, both on Nov. 17.