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Independence Pass, Trail Ridge Open For The Season

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May 21, 2009 9:29 am US/Mountain

Independence Pass, Trail Ridge Open For The Season

LEADVILLE, Colo. (CBS4) ― Drivers wanting to get from Leadville to Aspen (or visa versa) can drive over Independence Pass a little earlier this year.

Last year the opening of the pass was delayed until after the Memorial Day weekend due to wintry conditions. On Thursday at 2 p.m. officials will open the pass, which rises to an elevation of 12,095 feet.

Crews with the Colorado Department of Transportation have spent the past few weeks doing avalanche control, clearing snow and repairing the road.

The pass closes annually each year in the winter months.

Trail Ridge Road in Rocky Mountain National Park also opened for the summer on Thursday morning. The long paved road rises to just over 12,000 feet above sea level and is the only way to get by car from one end of the park to the other, running from Estes Park to Grand County.

The highway to the summit of Colorado's 14,264-foot Mount Evans will also open for the season on Friday. The 15-mile stretch of Colorado 5 from Echo Lake to the summit will be open will be closed on some weekdays after the July 4 holiday to repair areas where frost heave has lifted asphalt surfaces.

The road is billed as North America's highest paved highway.

(© 2009 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)

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