Flood-closed roads threaten Wolf Creek Ski Area, businesses banking on winter tourism

Two rounds of flooding in southwest Colorado has washed out roads and bridges across the region, closing key highways, keeping Wolf Creek Ski Area shut down and forcing some drivers into long detours.

Now, the clock is ticking for the businesses and people who depend on winter tourism.

The Colorado Department of Transportation says several major highways remain closed after damage from floodwaters:

CO 151 Chimney Rock to Arboles (Mile Point 27 to 30) US 160 Wolf Creek Pass to South Fork (MP 157 to 184.5) US 160 Bayfield to Pagosa Springs (MP 121 to 127), residential and emergency traffic only, no through travel permitted Watch the video report below: Flood-closed roads threaten Wolf Creek Ski Area, businesses banking on winter tourism

Rosanne Haidorfer-Pitcher, vice president of marketing and sales for Wolf Creek Ski Area, said flooding forced the resort to shut down on Nov. 1, just one day after it opened for the season. With damage to Wolf Creek Pass and Highway 160, there is no open route for skiers to get to the mountain.

"It just wreaked a lot of havoc on the pass. A lot of gigantic mudslides and just trees and bushes and rocks and water flowing every which way," Haidorfer-Pitcher said.

She said the ski area's crews have been working alongside CDOT and its contractors to clear the road.

"We have a lot of big equipment, and so we were moving mud and rocks and diverting water," Haidorfer-Pitcher said. "Everybody's working hard. It's a major route... like the mail comes through that way. It's a major trucking route."

CDOT said its maintenance crews and contractors are making temporary repairs to reopen roads where possible, while design and engineering staff develop plans for permanent repairs. CDOT said its priorities before winter are reopening US 160 from the Wolf Creek Tunnel to South Fork and making temporary repairs to the US 160 bridge over the Piedra River.

The agency said it requested $65 million in emergency relief funds from the Federal Highway Administration and has been approved for $6.5 million in quick relief funds so far. CDOT said the Colorado Transportation Commission provided another $5 million for emergency repairs.

However, CDOT said the emergency closures along many routes limit how quickly crews can deliver and move workers, equipment and materials.

On Friday, Pagosa Springs leaders met with U.S. Sen. Michael Bennet and Rep. Jeff Hurd to share updates on the damage and its toll on the local economy. Town leaders warned the harm could be lasting if tourism doesn't return this winter.

"A lot of these businesses are really on their last leg. And if we don't get these tourists back into town, and as we hit our peak seasons for Thanksgiving and the holidays, and we are expecting snow in town, if people don't know that they can come here and they can't reach us, I do expect a lot of businesses to have to fold and go under, and that has a huge ripple effect," said Jesse Hensle, a board member for the Pagosa Springs Area Tourism Board.

As for the US 160 bridge over the Piedra River, CDOT officials estimated a temporary structure could be in place within four weeks.

"My understanding is that a bridge has already been designed, procured and basically waiting on getting a foundation to put that temporary bridge on. Temporary bridge structure, to the best of my knowledge, would not have any weight restrictions and would be fully capable of plowing snow. So basically, a temporary bridge that's fully passable during the winter months," a CDOT official said during the meeting.

While Haidorfer-Pitcher said Wolf Creek Ski Area will open this season "for sure," she was more measured about whether it could reopen before Thanksgiving, saying only that she was going to "be optimistic."