The Colorado Department of Transportation and rockfall contractor Yenter Companies will conduct preventative rockfall mitigation at a site above Highway 145 at Ophir, south of Telluride between mile markers 64 and 65.
The work will involve rock scaling (bringing rocks down by hand and/or pry bar) on Monday and Tuesday, Aug. 19-20. Then through at least the end of August, crews will be clearing the ditch of rock debris, replacing the concrete rockfall barrier and installing a rockfall fence along the barrier to capture rocks that may otherwise have bounced over the barrier and onto the roadway.
On Monday and Tuesday from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m., during the rock scaling work, traffic will be stopped in both directions on SH 145, as well as on San Miguel CR 63L and Ames Road, for up to one hour at a time. Specifically, motorists will not be able to access Ames Road/Lake Fork Junction Road from CR 63L from either direction during the closure periods. Traffic will be cleared at all stop points following the closure periods. After scaling is complete, motorists can expect single-lane, alternating traffic on SH 145 only (not the county road), from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Friday, for ditch, barrier and fence work.
