Blue River officials express concerns as CDOT moves forward on chain

Aug 07, 2023

News News | Aug 24, 2023

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Anyone who has had to travel over Hoosier Pass when the roads are icy knows it can often be a harrowing experience. The Colorado Department of Transportation has been working on one solution help address some of those concerns and expects to have a chain-up station completed near Alma on the Park County side of the pass.

CDOT officials are hoping to begin construction on the Summit County chain-up area in 2024 or 2025, but the application is still under review by the town of Blue River and approval is not certain amid ongoing concerns from the town.

A general lack of compliance with the state’s traction law, which requires vehicles without four-wheel-drive or all-wheel-drive to be equipped with snow tires or use a traction device such as tire chains, has been cited as one factor in traffic accidents and travel delays over the pass. While some pull-out areas exist along the road, many are shorter, unpaved and unlit, which can make it difficult for semi drivers to use them to install tire chains.

Last winter, members of the Hoosier Passers Facebook group reported at least nine jackknifed semitrailers blocking the flow of traffic between Summit and Park counties along Colorado Highway 9, many of them just past a sharp pair of curves near “headlight house” about a mile south of the town of Blue River.

The current pull-off areas also do not meet the requirements that would allow Colorado State Patrol to enforce chain law restrictions on vehicles and drivers heading over the pass, according to Elise Thatcher, a spokesperson for CDOT Region 3.

“Having designated chain stations allows the Colorado State Patrol to ticket Chain Law violators since there is now a reasonable and safe place to chain up and down. We anticipate those tickets and associated fines help deter motorists from traveling over the pass during Chain Law events without proper equipment,” said Thatcher via email.

Construction on pullout area on the Park County side of the pass has been underway throughout the summer, and, aside from the installation of electronic message signs and electronic speed limit signs, the chain-up station located just north of Alma is expected to be completed in time to be used this winter, with full completion anticipated by summer 2024.

While semitrailers are expected to be main users for the chain station, any vehicle will be allowed to use the area to install traction devices, while use for other activities, including parking, will not be allowed.

The timeline for the Summit County station was delayed after Blue River officials and residents voiced concerns about potential negative local impacts from adding a a 50-foot expansion on the west side of the highway in the town. In response, CDOT set up a project leadership team to guide the design of the Blue River chain station.

Design changes included eliminating lighting, reducing the length of the station, adding berms to provide a buffer between the station and residential properties, and adding a chain-down station on the other side of the highway to allow north-bound vehicles to remove chains once they are on the other side of the pass, according to Thatcher.

The new designs have been completed and sent to the town for permitting, which is currently under review. Still, town officials remain concerned about the local impacts from the project.

“In my opinion, the application does not reflect the significant work done in meetings over the last two years,” wrote Michelle Eddy, Blue River’s town manager and clerk.

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Just as they were in 2021, the town’s concerns are focused on increasing traffic through the town and over the pass, as well as the residential and environmental impacts from the finished project. The section of the town’s website dedicated to the proposed chain-up station says traffic is often diverted over the pass from Interstate 70 when the interstate closes and the town gets limited support to ensure Highway 9 has snow removal and emergency support services.

“Again, it is my opinion, that the application does not reflect the work done in the meetings and the concerns expressed back in 2021 remain concerns moving forward,” wrote Eddy in a follow-up email.

The town also outlined seven main concerns, which are further explained on the town’s website:

In a follow-up email with the Summit Daily News, Thatcher said the route is not a designated Hazmat Highway, and hazardous materials should not be transported over the pass. Adding chain stations will not change the status of the road.

She added that CDOT generally does not encourage Hoosier Pass as an alternate route when I-70 is closed, and instead encourages travelers to detour over U.S. Highway 40 to the north (traveling through Steamboat Springs, Kremmling and Granby) or a combination of U.S. Highway 50 and U.S. Highway 285 (traveling through Montrose, Gunnison, Salida, Fairplay and Bailey) to the south. She added that these recommended routes see significant increases during I-70 closures, and she said “it is extremely rare” for CDOT to recommend Hoosier Pass as an alternate route.

With or without a chain station, traffic has been increasing over the pass. According to past Summit Daily reporting, the average daily number of trucks driving south along Highway 9 in the winter increased from 204 in 2016 to 252 in 2019. By 2045 CDOT expects 34 trucks per hour will pass through the area during peak hours.

“The reality is that commercial vehicles do use Hoosier Pass, and we want to make it as safe as possible for all roadway users and reduce operational challenges due to closures which occur frequently on CO 9 during Chain Law events,” wrote Thatcher.

For now, Eddy emphasized that, as of Aug. 11, the project has not been approved by the town of Blue River and is still under review for completeness and to verify the required information has been submitted. After the town is finished reviewing the application, there will be a public hearing before a decision will be made regarding the project permits.

“This will be a public hearing process with impacts evaluated by the Town to protect the citizens of the Town of Blue River,” wrote Eddy.

There was no timeline for the process as of Aug. 11, and Eddy was not able to provide an estimate for when a public hearing might take place for the project.

Thatcher said CDOT officials are continuing to work with the community and “are in the process of evaluating solutions for this important safety concern.”

Assuming the permit is approved, construction on the Summit County chain area would be expected to begin in 2024 or 2025, with 2025 being most likely, according to Thatcher. If the Blue River site is rejected, she says there are limited alternatives.

“The CO 9 site in Blue River was selected because it presented the first flat area that was as close as possible to Hoosier Pass without getting into the steep elevation changes. It was deemed the safest area we could find with good sight distance and any locations closer to Hoosier Pass have homes that are in close proximity,” wrote Thatcher. “… Alternative locations further north than the town of Blue River would be over 5 miles away with challenges with sight distance, home proximity and increased damage to the pavement.”

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