An often treacherous and muddy network of county roads over Cottonwood Pass between Glenwood Springs and Gypsum where deaths have occurred is the subject of a coalition between the state and county authorities to improve safety.

The unofficial bypass route is a series of unpaved county roads that link the towns that has been used for decades by locals wanting to bypass Glenwood Canyon as well as access to National Forests.

While the pass is closed in winter, increases in commuter traffic into and out of the Vail-Beaver Creek-Eagle area has raised safety concerns on the narrow, winding and precipitous roads, particularly on the east side in Eagle County. Some sections are completely impassable when wet and opening of the roads can be delayed in the spring until the snow is melted.

With the frequent closure of Glenwood Canyon due to mud and rockslide danger during thunderstorm season, locals who know about the undesignated route are using Cottonwood pass even more frequently.

The Colorado Department of Transportation and Eagle and Garfield counties are seeking public comment on conceptual designs to improve safety on the pass. CDOT is reviewing 14 identified locations — six in Eagle County and eight in Garfield County. These locations were selected by the counties based on known safety issues.

Concept design is expected to be complete by early 2023. The counties will complete design and evaluate construction of improvements as funding becomes available.

“CDOT is extremely sensitive to the needs of our partner agencies managing these roads,” said Region 3 Transportation Director Jason Smith. “We look forward to hearing feedback during these meetings.”

Two public open house meetings are planned to introduce the project and gather feedback regarding desired improvements and design options. The same information will be displayed at each meeting, and project staff will be on hand to answer questions. Community members are invited to choose the open house option most convenient for them:

Tuesday, July 19 from 5:30 – 7:30 p.m. in Glenwood Springs at the Glenwood Springs Community Center;

Wednesday, July 20 from 5:00 – 7:00 p.m. at the Gypsum Town Hall Council Chamber, 50 Lundgren Boulevard.

Information will be available on the project webpage following the meetings. Comments can be submitted anytime via an online comment form. To view the graphics, submit comments or to join the project mailing list, visit codot.gov/projects/cottonwood-pass-concept-design.