County Road 361 southwest of Ouray is indefinitely closed after several large boulders tumbled onto the road last week, leading county officials to issue an emergency disaster order.
County commissioners ratified an emergency disaster ordinance Tuesday that will extend through April 22, anticipating the situation will take at least six weeks to address.
The rockfall on the road also known as Camp Bird Road was first reported to county officials on the afternoon of Feb. 25. Ouray County Road and Bridge Superintendent Ty Barger and the Ouray County Sheriff’s Office temporarily closed the area — 3.5 miles from U.S.
Highway 550 and roughly 200 yards beyond the Senator Gulch gate — on Feb. 26. Besides the right-of-way shared between the county and U.S. Forest Service, the damage is on private property.
Engineering firm Buckhorn Engineering also reviewed drone footage of the area on the afternoon of Feb. 26 and deemed the situation “life-threatening” and not safe for any mode of traffic.
Buckhorn reported it’s not safe for any people or equipment to be within the rockfall zone, defined as 50 feet above, below or on either side of the debris area as there’s remaining fractured and overhanging rock. The engineering firm reported more rockfall was likely to occur due to fluctuating temperatures. County officials also reported significant damage to a retaining wall in the area.
Barger said Buckhorn Engineering is advising the county on two “rough courses of action” received from two different geotech firms Tuesday. The county also received separate repair and reconstruction proposals from the contractor that built the retaining wall.
Barger said the Forest Service hasn’t pledged any financial help yet, but has been invited to contribute. Ouray County Manager Connie Hunt said the county is in communication with the Department of Local Affairs to see if there’s any help available from the state department.
The public is not allowed in the area during this closure. The Ouray County Sheriff’s Office said it would enforce any violations of this closure until the county receives more information and decides a path forward.
County Road 361 is one of the most heavily used backcountry roads in the county during the summer, since it leads to multiple four-wheel-drive roads. It’s more difficult to access in the winter but is still used by backcountry ice climbers.
