US 550 Red Mountain Pass Opened Jan. 16

News Release

January 16, 2024 - Southwestern Colorado - Highway reopened after safety closures were in put in place

Southwest Colorado — After 2 full days of closures, US Highway 550 between Silverton and Ouray opened on Tuesday, January 16 shortly after 1:00 p.m. The closure was put into place early Sunday morning when extremely adverse weather conditions impacted Red Mountain Pass. Colorado Department of Transportation Maintenance crews performed operations Sunday through Tuesday to mitigate avalanches and clear numerous natural slides from the road.

Travelers should be aware that during the winter season, snow conditions may require additional maintenance work and safety closures at any time on many southwest Colorado highways.

US 550 snow clearing — CDOT Photo: CDOT maintenance crew member clears snow on US 550, north of Silverton.

Know Before You Go

Travelers are urged to “know before you go.” Gather information about weather forecasts and anticipated travel impacts and current road conditions prior to hitting the road. CDOT resources include:

Road conditions and travel information: COtrip.org
Download the COtrip Planner app: bit.ly/COtripapp
Sign up for project or travel alerts: bit.ly/COnewsalerts
See scheduled construction lane closures: bit.ly/laneclosures
Connect with @ColoradoDOT on social media: Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and YouTube

Download the COtrip App!

The new free COtrip Planner mobile app was designed to meet the growing trend of information on mobile and tablet devices for the traveling public. The COtrip Planner app provides statewide, real-time traffic information, and works on mobile devices that operate on the iOS and Android platforms. Visit the Google Play Store (Android devices) or the Apple Store (iOS devices) to download!