Rocking and rolling

If you’re headed north next week for a soak or a visit to the Rose of the Mont, be forewarned. Not only is the weatherman calling for snow, which will require all of us to relearn our winter driving skills, but Red Mountain Pass will be closed. Again.

The closure, which will take place from 8 a.m. – 12 noon and 1 – 5 p.m., Mon., Tues., and Thurs. is so crews can repair netting and fencing on the cliff face about 3 miles south of Ouray. Motorists will have a one-hour window at noon to travel through the work zone.

On Monday and Tuesday, northbound traffic will be stopped just north of Engineer Pass junction. However, on Thursday, northbound traffic will be stopped at Ironton to allow for helicopter operations.

On other work days, motorists may encounter periodic, shorter closures of up to 20 minutes. The road will return to regular two-way traffic every evening.

Work is expected to wrap up Nov. 1, although inclement weather may delay the timeline.

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