Sinkhole on Hwy. 133 will take months to repair

CDOT estimates a temporary bridge in six weeks

Abby Harrison Times Staff Writer

On Saturday, April 29, a sinkhole opened along Hwy. 133, just east of Paonia. The Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT), which has jurisdiction over state highways, immediately closed the road in both directions from mile marker 14 to 19. The agency has asked motorists to avoid the area unless absolutely necessary.

CDOT estimated that repairs to the roadway could take one to two months. For now, the highway remains closed for two-way through traffic, but the department is coordinating with partner agencies and local residents to allow limited travel in the area. Th e Fire Mountain Canal access road, just 10-15 feet from the highway, has been opened for Somerset locals, residents on the west side of McClure Pass and emergency vehicles.

The sinkhole formed where Bear Creek filters into the North Fork of the Gunnison River when a culvert sprung a leak, gradually started to fail and ate away at the highway. CDOT officials have said spring runoff is a factor in the conditions leading to the sinkhole developing. It gradually expanded over the first week, starting in the north-bound lane and slowly creeping in the south-bound lane. But this week the expansion has stopped and CDOT officials consider the sinkhole to be stable.

Personnel at West Elk Mine and the Marble Quarry who live in Delta and Grand Junction must cross Hwy. 133 on foot, and then take shuttles to their workplaces, said Director of Gunnison County Emergency Services Scott Morrill. He asked drivers not to use CR265 and CR12 (Kebler Pass) as detour routes once those roads open for the season.

“Once they open, they're going to be very muddy and they are weight restricted and just not designed for high volumes of traffic,” Morrill said. “We just want to encourage people to stick to the pavement.”

CDOT began a procurement process for a two-way temporary bridge, and has re-issued an RFP for the project after no contractors replied to the fi rst one due to the tight time frame, Morrill said.

“CDOT has been able to manage this issue internally with their own resources,”

County Commissioner Liz Smith said in a regular Board of County Commissioners meeting on May 16. “Th at has led to a quicker procurement process. They did not have to appeal to the federal government or declare a state disaster or emergency.”

Smith visited the sinkhole this week alongside Rep. Marc Catlin, Delta County Commissioner Don Suppes, Rep. Matt Soper and CDOT Director Shoshana Lew. Smith said CDOT officials expect to have the bridge finished by late June, but no contractor has been selected yet. Travelers are encouraged to use COtrip.org for planning an alternate route around the area. All real-time travel impacts will continue to be posted on the site.

(Abby Harrison can be contacted at 970.641.1414 or abby@gunnisontimes.com.)

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Western hosts open house for Thompson Divide mineral withdrawal

The U.S Forest Service and Bureau of Land Management (BLM) held a listening session for the proposed Thompson Divide 20-year administrative mineral withdrawal on Wednesday, May 11 at Western Colorado University. The agencies submitted an application to the U.S. Secretary of the Interior in September of 2022 requesting the withdrawal.

The pair is working on an environmental analysis and by spring of 2024, will prepare a recommendation to submit to the Interior. Community members and county politicians showed up on Wednesday to voice their support and ask questions about what the withdrawal could mean for current mining leases and public land management.

If approved, the withdrawal would prevent additional gas and oil leasing development and federal mineral interests on approximately 225,000 acres in the White River National Forest in westcentral Colorado. The requested withdrawal would not affect the valid, existing leases — mostly natural gas — within the withdrawal boundaries. Land management activities such as recreation and grazing would not be affected. It’s supporters hope it will protect the headwaters of the Gunnison River Basin and dependent agricultural, ranching, wildlife, recreational and ecological values.