Trail Ridge Road Repair Completed

Trail Ridge Road, the highest continuous paved road in the continental United States, is celebrating its 75th Anniversary this year. This awe inspiring road needs work that is long overdue and will occur this spring and summer. This project will focus on critical repairs such as resurfacing the road from Deer Ridge Junction to Rainbow Curve, and include six roadway slump repairs between Forest Canyon Overlook and the Colorado River Trailhead. Because Trail Ridge Road reaches an elevation of 12,183 feet, the only time to do work is during the summer. Park Service staff and the contractor will do their best to complete this major roadwork in a timely manner, on budget, and allow access to visitors. Following is information about the road work. Please check at a park visitor center or entrance station for up-to-date information on road delays.

April 1 through May 24-Completed
Trail Ridge Road will be closed at Deer Ridge Junction. The closure will be in effect from Mondays at 6:00 a.m. through Saturdays at 6:00 a.m. Weather permitting, the road will be open to Many Parks Curve on Saturdays and Sundays.

• Trail Ridge Road is open and, weather permitting, will remain open the rest of the season. For current road status, click here.

May 29 through June 29-Completed
Work will take place from Deer Ridge Junction to Rainbow Curve. During this phase, park visitors can expect 20 to 30 minute delays. There may be multiple areas of construction occurring concurrently and in that case the combined delay times will not exceed 60 minutes.

 

Repairing "slumps" is one of the repair projects slated along Trail Ridge Road this summer.

NPS Photo

July 3 through July 7-Completed
There will not be any construction work during this time. There will be gravel sections at The Saddle, Lava Cliffs and below Gore Range Overlook. There may be delays through these areas, the combined delay times will not exceed 60 minutes.

 

July 8 through the End of the Season-Completed

Labor Day Weekend
Work should cease as of noon, Friday, August 31 and will recommence at 6 a.m. Tuesday, September 4. The road will be open to two way traffic throughout and any new paving will be striped.

Night Closures through September 14-Completed
Night closures from Forest Canyon Overlook to Alpine Visitor Center will occur. Night closures will be in effect from 10:00 p.m. through 6:00 a.m., beginning Sunday evening and ending Friday morning. Night closures will not occur on Friday and Saturday nights. Due to high traffic on Trail Ridge Road during the day, night work is the only way the contractor can finish the project during the summer.

The contractor anticipates actually working from 8:00 p.m. to 6:00 a.m. Flaggers and pilot cars will direct traffic after 8:00 p.m. and will ensure no one is in the construction area when the gates close at Fall River Pass and Forest Canyon at 10:00 p.m. The night closures will continue until the work is completed.

During the day
In addition to night closures, park visitors can expect 20 to 30 minute delays on Trail Ridge Road. There may be multiple areas of construction occurring concurrently and in that case the combined delay time will not exceed 60 minutes. Although the majority of work will be done at night, some work, such as resurfacing, can only be done during the day due to temperature requirements.

Old Fall River Road
Old Fall River Road is open for the season and will remain open as long as weather and road conditions permit. Old Fall River Road will remain open at night with current one way status allowing travel from east to west only.

Cyclists
All closures apply to cyclists as well. Cyclists should be prepared for rough road conditions.