In brief: Basalt retaining wall repairs, Snowmass rodeo lot construction, prescribed burns planned
Construction project on Frying Pan Road will close one lane of traffic
The Town of Basalt and contractor B&Y Drilling will start repair work on a failing retaining wall along Frying Pan Road at mile marker .4 starting on Monday, March 18. The construction will require a 24-hour closure of the eastbound lane of Frying Pan Road for up to three weeks.
Traffic signals will be placed at the site to direct traffic through one lane. Travelers on Frying Pan Road should expect delays.
The retaining wall holds up the sidewalk along this section of road, and without the emergency repair, the sidewalk may collapse into the Frying Pan River.
Questions: Please contact Matt Wagner, Town of Basalt, Assistant Public Works director at 970-279-4469 or matt.wagner@basalt.net.
Rodeo Lot construction in Snowmass to impact day skier parking
The Town of Snowmass Village started construction of the rodeo arena at Town Park this week, which will impact day skier parking in the dirt lots at Town Park.
The temporary day skier parking will return to an active construction site. Construction on the project began after the final Snowmass Western Heritage Association’s rodeo in 2023 and is anticipated to be completed by June before the 2024 system.
Prescribed burns planned in Pitkin County
Fire managers from the Upper Colorado River Interagency Fire Management Unit are monitoring conditions as they plan several prescribed fires on federal lands in Pitkin, Eagle, Mesa, Rio Blanco, and Summit counties in the coming weeks.
There are two prescribed fires planned in Pitkin County. One is the Avalanche Creek/Filoha prescribed fire, up to 400 acres seven miles south of Carbondale. The other is the Braderich Creek prescribed fire, up to 1,500 acres one mile west of Redstone.
Specific notifications will be made ahead of individual prescribed fires. The timing will depend on elevation, snowmelt, moisture in the vegetation and soil, and local weather forecasts.
Smoke may be seen from nearby communities and roads. Smoke should dissipate during the day but may remain on the valley floors as temperatures drop.
“Fire is as much a natural part of the western Colorado ecosystem as the wildlife and vegetation,” said Lathan Johnson, UCR fire management officer, in a media release. “Prescribed fires and other fuel reduction treatments lessen the intensity of unwanted, large wildfires and give firefighters a place to more effectively engage wildfires when necessary.”
