State transportation workers triggered an avalanche on Berthoud Pass Tuesday morning that left up to 20 feet of snow on the route between Empire and Winter Park.
The Colorado State Patrol says U.S. 40 isn’t likely to reopen until at least noon. The road reopened around 1 p.m.
OPEN- US 40 Berthoud Pass after snow slide
— Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT) (@ColoradoDOT)
The Colorado Department of Transportation says the slide was triggered by workers completing avalanche risk reduction work.
Traffic Advisory
US 40 Berthoud Pass closed 4-5 hours for avalanche reduction work this morning.
Expect delays— CSP Golden (@csp_golden)
Av. control work this a.m. on US 40 resulted in a large slide which covered the road w 20 ft of snow. US 40 closed expect lengthy delay.
— Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT) (@ColoradoDOT)
The high country was hammered with snow overnight Tuesday.
Winter Park Resort is reporting three inches of new snow, while Arapahoe Basin is reporting 9 inches of powder.
The Colorado Avalanche Information Center says backcountry avalanche danger is considerable for the central and northern mountains on Wednesday.
“The National Weather Service forecasts significant blowing snow and brief whiteout conditions in areas over the Interstate 70 mountain corridor today,” CDOT said in a warning. “Mountain roads are likely to become snow covered and slippery.”
