CDOT opens Independence Pass for the 2025 season
Vehicles 35 feet or longer are prohibited
CDOT PRESS RELEASE
May 22, 2025
Crews with the Colorado Department of Transportation have reopened Independence Pass on Colorado Highway 82 for the season. Workers unlocked seasonal closure gates on Thursday, May 22 at 4 p.m. Both sides of the pass were reopened to motorists, ending the need for the hours-long detours while closed.
To reopen the road for the 2025 summer season, two tasks needed to be accomplished: avalanche mitigation and roadway repairs. On May 12, CDOT and Colorado Avalanche Information Center representatives conducted the avalanche mitigation operations, bringing down loose snow, ice and debris onto CO 82. Crews triggered several snow slides using helicopters to drop explosives on known avalanche paths.
The second task necessary to open was conducting essential maintenance of the roadway to ensure the route was safe for commuters to travel. CDOT maintenance crews wasted no time in clearing all snow, ice and debris from the road shortly after the avalanche operations. They were able to assess the road condition and coordinate a plan to make the necessary repairs as quickly and safely as possible.
“The annual opening of Independence Pass is an important step as we transition from winter weather to summer,” said Jason Smith, CDOT Region 3 Regional Transportation Director. “This narrow, winding road allows tourists and travelers access to areas around Aspen and beyond. While it is closed in the winter, it takes motorists a couple of hours longer via detours. We are happy to say we made sure the necessary repairs were made so drivers can travel the road safely.”
Maintenance crews on both the east and west sides of Independence Pass worked long shifts and pushed through to complete the safety measures necessary for the road to be deemed safe and therefore ready to open. These repairs consisted of repairing or replacing a significant portion of guard rail in strategic locations, fixing potholes, ensuring the integrity of the road shoulder, replacing damaged signs, and clearing ditches and culverts of debris to enable proper water drainage.
CDOT reminds motorists that commercial and recreational vehicles 35 feet or longer are prohibited on Independence Pass. The restriction is due to tight curves, steep inclines and narrow lanes on some sections of the pass, and applies to vehicles and trailers with a combined length of more than 35 feet. Motorists should plan for the restriction to be in place on CO 82 between Mile Point 47.2 (west side, near Aspen) and MP 84.2 (east side, near Twin Lakes/Leadville and about one mile west of the junction with US Highway 24).
Dates for reopening Independence Pass in previous years are: