Road work and a bridge inspection caused major traffic delays on every route into Aspen on Wednesday, with gridlock continuing well past the usual rush hour.
The Castle Creek Bridge was reduced to one lane most of the morning and part of afternoon for a scheduled safety inspection by the Colorado Department of Transportation, with no official detour through Aspen’s West End. That single-lane closure with alternating traffic was scheduled to end at 1:30 p.m., but it was still in effect later in the afternoon. Cars were backed up to the Aspen airport for most of the day, facing double or triple the usual 10-minute drive time.
Upvalley traffic on Highway 82 began to show an improvement around 3 p.m. Meanwhile, drivers heading out of town faced some of the usual rush hour congestion.
Drivers trying to get around the gridlock by taking McClain Flats Road also faced delays, as part of the road has been reduced to one lane with alternating traffic for a chip seal paving project. Smith Hill Way has also been reduced to one lane, causing backups in the turnoff to access Woody Creek and McClain Flats.
Inbound traffic tapered off on Aspen’s Main Street, but drivers who continued toward Independence Pass encountered further delays. The road had intermittent closures of up to 20 minutes near the Lincoln Creek turnoff (mile marker 51) due to heavy equipment movement Wednesday afternoon. A Pitkin Alert also noted heavy traffic in both directions closer to Aspen, near mile marker 47.
Alternate forms of transportation can help speed up the journey into town and reduce congestion. RFTA buses benefit from a dedicated transit lane between the airport and the roundabout. And if you don’t have much cargo, there are several locations to park and hop on a WeCycle bike — including the Aspen Airport Business Center and Buttermilk.
This story was last updated around 9:15 p.m. on Wednesday, Sept. 25.
