Pitkin County commissioners decided Tuesday to spend $250,000 to build a turnaround area for oversized trucks heading up Independence Pass.
The turnaround will be located right before the winter closure gate on Highway 82. It’s part of a two-pronged approach aimed at preventing semi trucks and other vehicles longer than 35 feet from going over the narrow stretch.
The Colorado Department of Transportation, or CDOT, will spend $200,000 to install a detection system a mile west of the turnaround area. The agency will also redesign a portion of the road to make it nearly impossible for a large vehicle to get through.
Commissioner Patti Clapper asked Zane Znamenacek, a CDOT traffic engineer, exactly what the redesign entails.
“Can you explain Chicane? Can you define Chicane? A whoop-de-do like that. Sort of like an S-curve,” responded.
Construction will start in the spring. Officials hope to have the project done before the Grand Avenue Bridge in Glenwood Springs closes in August.