Crashes and spinouts Thursday night on U.S. Highway 160 between Hesperus and Mancos Hill temporarily closed the highway as a storm swept through Southwest Colorado, reportedly dumping more than a foot of snow on regional mountain passes, according to law enforcement agencies the state highway department..
About a dozen other vehicles also became stuck or spun off U.S. 160 as the storm entered Southwest Colorado Thursday evening, said Master Sgt. Gary Cutler of the State Patrol.
No injuries were reported.
Road crews for the Colorado Department of Transportation reported that 14 inches of snow fell Thursday night on near the Hesperus Hill on U.S. 160. Friday morning, CDOT reported 20 inches on Coal Bank and Molas passes, and 14 inches on Red Mountain Pass on U.S. Highway 550 – all on U.S. Highway 550.
Molas and Red Mountain passes were scheduled for closure about 8:30 a.m. Friday morning for avalanche control work, said Lisa Ann Schwantes, CDOT public information officer, in a news release. They had reopened by 10:30 a.m., Schwantes said in a follow-up news release about 11 a.m.
According to Schwantes, snow accumulations reported by CDOT maintenance patrols throughout the region include:
- Coal Bank Pass, U.S. 550: 20 inches.
- Molas Pass, U.S. 550: 16 inches.
- Red Mountain Pass, U.S. 550: 14 inches.
- U.S. 160, Hesperus: 14 inches
- U.S. 160 Wolf Creek Pass: 16 inches
- Colorado Highway 145, Rico: 24 inches
Snowfall Thursday night turned slushy in spots, then froze, leaving icy conditions on U.S. Highway 160 between Hesperus and Mancos. Mancos and Cortez received mostly rain.
The Montezuma County Office of Emergency Management announced a State Patrol accident alert Thursday night, stating officers would not respond to crashes unless there were injuries, a disabled vehicle, damage to private property, a DUI or a hit-and-run.
Sharon Collyer reported on The Journal’s Facebook page that she made the drive from Durango Thursday evening during the storm.
“It took me about an hour and forty-five minutes from Durango last night from about 5 to 6:45; total standstill at Madden Peak,” she said. “Twas a very exciting drive, especially near Cherry Creek.”
The collision of two vehicles near mile marker 63 east of the Montezuma County line temporarily closed U.S. 160, the Montezuma County Office of Emergency Management announced at 8 p.m. The westbound lane of traffic opened about 30 minutes later, and the highway was fully open by 10:10, according to a county Nixle alert.
One person involved in the collision declined a medical examination, said Montezuma County Sheriff Steve Nowlin, and another had a “very minor” injury.
About 6 p.m., traffic on Mancos Hill was limited to one lane after an eastbound FedEx truck spun out near mile marker 61.
And about 4 p.m. Thursday, traffic on Hesperus Hill slowed to a crawl when a semitrailer and a car stopped in the two westbound lanes near mile marker 73 after a third vehicle went off the highway and rolled over, Cutler said. By 5 p.m., westbound traffic was backed up for about a mile.
A winter storm watch remains in effect until Friday evening.
Heavy snow began falling near Durango after 4 p.m., and about 2 inches accumulated on U.S. 160 west of Durango by 5:30 p.m., creating slushy and slick conditions. The roadway then became icy as temperatures fell, Nowlin said.
Snowfall was expected to continue Thursday night, with accumulations of up to 5 inches by Friday morning in La Plata County. Rain mixed with snow was expected in Montezuma County.
“If you don’t have to drive, don’t,” said Nowlin. “Take it slow, and wear seat belts.”
Widespread power outages affected thousands of residents late Thursday and all day Friday in Archuleta and La Plata counties.
The outages were the result of wet, heavy snow that blanketed La Plata Electric Association’s service area.
As of 5:30 p.m. Friday, the electric co-op was aware of 107 outages affecting 1,805 customers in the two-county region, said LPEA spokeswoman Hillary Knox.
At its peak, LPEA had more than 125 separate outages and more than 10,200 customers without power, she said.
Friday morning, ski areas in Southwest Colorado reported a bounty of new snow in the past 24 hours. A sampling:
Hesperus Ski Area: Ski slopes were scheduled to open Dec. 17.
Purgatory Resort: 25 inches, with a 36-inch base.
Telluride Ski Resort: 15 inches, with a 20-inch base.
Wolf Creek Ski Area: 23 inches, with a 47-inch base.
The Durango Herald contributed to this report.
