Aspen will once again become a dead-end town.
Winter is coming. And so, Independence Pass will be cut off to vehicles starting Thursday afternoon. In anticipation of a storm expected to blow in, the Colorado Department of Transportation will close both the Aspen and Twin Lakes winter gates leading over the pass at noon Thursday.
Unseasonably warm temperatures allowed CDOT to keep the pass open more than a week and a half longer than originally planned. Typically, Independence Pass is closed by Nov. 7.
Crews will run a sweep of the highway looking for any cars that may be parked at the summit or in campgrounds and on auxiliary roads.
