Naturita and Gateway stretch of CO 141 will remain open, say officials

UPDATE | 3:45 p.m. May 5

SOUTHWEST COLORADO (KKCO) - The Colorado Department of Transportation announced Friday that Highway 141 will remain open for the near future.

Officials say that cooling temperature trends will continue into the weekend, reducing the amount of snowmelt flowing into Colorado’s waterways.

Closure of Highway 141 was likely on Thursday, but officials say that conditions have changed. Future closures are still possible, but CDOT says that the bridge is expected to be open over the weekend.

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This is an update to ongoing coverage. Previous coverage is below.

SOUTHWEST COLORADO (KKCO) - The Colorado Department of Transportation announced Thursday afternoon that the stretch of Highway 141 between Naturita and Gateway will likely be closed Friday evening. River levels in the area are predicted to be high, presenting increased flood danger.

The closure will likely come at 5 p.m. Friday, CDOT says, and will remain closed until flood danger subsides. Flow amounts are expected to fluctuate, and CDOT says that more closures may happen in the near future.

“River flows in the area have not been observed at these levels in 18 years. With the flood event expected to peak this Friday, we are taking proactive and cautionary measures at this particular bridge. Engineers and maintenance personnel will be assessing the structural integrity throughout this high-flow event,” said Regional Transportation Director Julie Constan.

The northbound closure point is just north of Naturita and the County Road CC junction near mile marker 64. The southbound closure is just south of Gateway at mile marker 110.