Today, Jan 31, Highway 550 was opened – albeit partially – for the first time since its closing on Jan 13 due to rockfall on the Ruby Walls.  I don’t believe 18 days is the longest stretch of closure on 550, but it is the longest in quite some time.

All of us involved in the undertaking are understandably proud to have played a part in the success of the rockfall mitigation project. Almost all of us on the mountainside team are Western Slope residents and most of us live in Ouray or Silverton. We were speaking daily to our friends and neighbors and they were curious about the progress and encouraging us in our dogged pursuit of a solution.

We know we made a difference.  And we felt like we were the right people thrust into the right circumstances at the right time.  It is with a different set of eyes that I view that ‘open’ sign on the highway reader board. A tremendous accomplishment by the entire CDOT team.