Latest news with #ClearCreekCounty
CBS News
5 hours ago
- CBS News
No Parking signs installed along one of Colorado's most popular roads for fall colors viewing
Law enforcement officials in Colorado's Clear Creek County say they are stepping up enforcement of illegal parking on Guanella Pass Road. The county recently installed new No Parking signs along the roadway. In the fall, motorists flock to the pass because it's one of the hottest spots for fall colors viewing and it's relatively close to the Denver metro area. It runs from Georgetown in Clear Creek County to Grant in Park County, and it's filled with all of the Colorado views you could want: rocky forests, sweeping landscapes and maybe even bighorn sheep. It's also a way to get up to Mount Bierstadt and the back side of Mount Blue Sky. But it gets so busy that some drivers choose to park on the side of the road and the vehicles don't always wind up completely off the roadway. They often cut off part of the sides of the road, making it hard for emergency vehicles to get through. Sgt. Nick Aab of the Clear Creek County Sheriff's Office said illegal parking created a problem last year after someone had a heart attack in one of the parking lots. "We had to land the (medical) helicopter on the road. Unfortunately, where a lot of people were parked we had to ask people 'You have got to move now because we are landing a bird.' I mean, no ifs, ands or buts." "Fire trucks and ambulances are very wide. You know, a police car can make it through okay. But there are times it's a little tight," Aab said. While parking is still free in parking lots on the pass, drivers should be prepared for the possibility of them filling quickly. "It'll be tough on the weekends. So if people want to get a spot they should probably get here early," said Nicole Adamson, who enjoys hiking in the area. People who are caught parking illegally will face a $87.50 citation or they might get their car towed. Aab says there may be times during peak leaf peeping season that drivers might not even make it up to the pass. "If we have too much traffic, we're going to shut it down on both ends. When we get a bit of a little bit of relief, then we can reopen the pass and let more people up," he said. Drivers should know that while it's going to be a little bit harder to enjoy one of the prettiest places in Colorado, there's a good reason why.
CBS News
03-07-2025
- Automotive
- CBS News
Crash, vehicle fire closes portion of I-70 in Colorado's high country
A crash and vehicle fire closed a portion of I-70 in Colorado's high country on Thursday afternoon. The Colorado Department of Transportation confirmed the vehicle fire closed westbound lanes of I-70 at mile marker 218 about 1:27 p.m. That's about a half mile west of Herman Gulch Road. A vehicle fire closed westbound lanes of I-70 at mile marker 218. CDOT Eastbound I-70 was also closed west of the tunnels. According to the Clear Creek County Sheriff's Office, the preliminary investigation indicates a multi-vehicle crash has resulted in a vehicle fire. Drivers are urged to take an alternate route due to what is being called an extended closure and backups.
CBS News
02-07-2025
- CBS News
Case dismissed against former Colorado law enforcement officer in death of Christian Glass
A judge has dismissed the case against the former Georgetown police marshal in the death of Christian Glass, the 22-year-old who was shot and killed by a Clear County Sheriff's Deputy after his car got stuck in Colorado's high country in 2022. Former Georgetown Marshal Randolph "Randy" Williams, who resigned last year, had faced charges of failing to intervene and third-degree assault. Williams was among eight officers charged after Glass, who was experiencing a mental health crisis at the time, was killed by former Clear Creek Sheriff's Deputy Andrew Buen. Tuesday's hearing for Williams' case was brief -- approximately 60 seconds -- and both he and his attorney attended the hearing virtually. Williams was seen on another officer's body-worn camera breaking Glass's rear driver's side window before Buen shoots Glass. Georgetown Marshal Randolph "Randy" Williams, center, is seen approaching Christian Glass's car the night Clear Creek Sheriff's Deputy Andrew Buen, left, shot and killed Glass in 2022. Clear Creek County Sheriff's Office Williams served as the marshal of Georgetown's police department, the department's top position. The department has since been dissolved, and law enforcement duties in Georgetown became absorbed by the Clear Creek County Sheriff's Office in December 2024. Five other law enforcement officers who were at the scene -- two local officers and a state trooper and two state game officers, respectively -- previously had their cases dismissed. No reason was given for the dismissal against Williams and those records are now sealed, but 5th Judicial District Attorney Heidi McCollum and Glass's parents' attorney said after the last case was dismissed in May that the community and Glass's parents wanted to avoid another trial after Buen was convicted and sentenced. Buen, the deputy who fired his weapon, was sentenced in April to three years in prison and two years of probation after that. Former Clear Creek Sheriff's Sgt. Kyle Gould, Buen's supervisor that night, who watched the events play out remotely through a live feed of body-worn camera footage, pleaded guilty in 2023 to charges of failure to report use of force and failure to intervene. He was given a $1,000 fine and two years of unsupervised probation. A civil lawsuit filed by Glass's parents has already reached its conclusion after a $19 million settlement was reached with various municipalities and Glass's family.
CBS News
17-06-2025
- Climate
- CBS News
Loveland Pass remains closed after Colorado landslide, but CDOT says cleanup effort's first stage is nearly complete
A stretch of Loveland Pass in the Colorado high country remains closed after a landslide, but the Colorado Department of Transportation says the first stage of the cleanup effort is nearly complete. CDOT The 100 foot wide landslide happened early Sunday evening and covered Highway 6 with a wall of mud and debris that is 15 to 20 feet high. It happened on the Clear Creek County side of the mountain pass, closer to Loveland ski area. On Tuesday crews had removed 85% of the rocks, mud and silt from the road, but engineering teams will still have to assess the stability of the mountainside before the road can be reopened. CDOT CDOT said in a Tuesday afternoon that there's still no estimated time for when Highway 6 will be back open. "Crews are working diligently to clear the slide," the department wrote in a prepared statement. "The pass will remain closed until the roadway is deemed safe. Motorists, hikers, and cyclists are urged to stay clear of the area until the clean-up is complete." CDOT said there hasn't been a landslide in the spot where it happened, which is referred to as Scottys Curves, since 2003. As a result of the closure, trucks carrying hazardous materials need to pass through the Eisenhower Tunnel on Interstate 70, and that could result in some slowdowns for drivers passing through the tunnel from Summit County to Clear Creek County and back.
CBS News
15-06-2025
- Climate
- CBS News
Landslide closes highway over Colorado mountain pass
Mud and rock an estimated 15 to 20 feet deep buried both lanes of travel across U.S. 6 near Loveland Pass before sunrise Saturday. There is no indication when road crews will be able to clear the debris and re-open the road. No vehicles or cyclists are known to have been caught in the slide, according to state and county authorities. No actual time that the slide occurred has been released, either, although the first notification of the highway's closure came from the Colorado Department of Transportation at 4:25 a.m. A landslide crossed both lanes of U.S. 6 a mile north of Loveland Pass's summit Saturday morning. There is no estimated time of re-opening the highway, and authorities are asking travelers to avoid the area because the slide is still active. Clear Creek Sheriff's Office/Facebook The Clear Creek County Sheriff's Office stated in a social media post that the landslide crossed the highway at mile marker 226. That location is three miles above U.S. 6's interchange with Interstate 70 near the Loveland Ski Area and one mile below the summit of Loveland Pass. The Keystone and Arapahoe Basin ski areas are open but only accessible from the western side of Loveland Pass in Silverthorne. A-Basin extended its winter ski season earlier this month after planning to close on June 4; today is the ski area's last day. Keystone's ski season ended in early April. That resort planned to open its gates for summer recreation Thursday. There are no limitations to reaching Loveland Ski Area which ended its winter ski season May 4. Colorado Department of Transportation/Facebook Loveland Pass crests the Continental Divide just shy of 12,000 feet in elevation. The road is used as an alternative to the Eisenhower-Johnson Tunnels on I-70, particularly for trucks carrying hazardous cargo. With that Loveland Pass route unavailable, highway officials will normally close the tunnels to regular traffic at regular intervals to allow such hazardous cargo to travel through them alone. CDOT has made no announcements about those planned closures at this time.
