Plow crews continued to make progress on city and county roads on Monday, battling unseasonably cold temperatures and snowfall over Christmas weekend.
Rob Englehart, of the Montezuma County road department, said that as of Monday morning, 95 percent of improved roads had been cleared for two-lane travel, though crews continued to work in northern Montezuma County. The “roundup shift,” which plows from County Road P north to the county line and includes Hovenweep and Pleasant View roads, had been cleared for single-lane travel, he said. He explained that “improved roads” includes gravel and paved roads. The county plows about 450 miles of road.
County crews canceled vacations and called in backup help on Christmas Eve and worked roughly from 4 a.m. until dark, he said.
Englehart was proud of the road crews. “I’ve only been here for about two years, and I’m impressed. These guys really get after it.”
Englehart also thanked Starbucks, which stayed open until 8 p.m. on Wednesday and donated two large pots of coffee for crews clearing detour roads after the 19-vehicle pileup on U.S. Highway 491.
Phil Johnson, Cortez Public Works director, said crews began working on Monday and worked through Christmas in two shifts, from roughly 4 a.m. to 5 p.m. In early stages of the storm, crews sprayed a brine to retard snow buildup. As roads become snowpacked, crews lay down a sand-salt mixture to melt snow and provide traction for drivers. The mixture also softens the snowpack for plowing and removal.
The city has three large plow trucks and three pickups with plows. Other city employees worked to clear drains in residential and commercial areas.
City crews continued to plow streets according to its priority of Main Street, Mildred Road and Empire Street, followed by streets around schools, the downtown area and residential areas. Johnson says the city still plans to blade parking areas of Main Street, and to plow north-south roads such as Elm, Chestnut, Market, Beech and Ash streets.
The Christmas storm gave both the city and county road departments a small break: School roads were not as high a priority because of the holiday break.
Both Englehart and Johnson emphasized that residents shouldn’t shovel or plow their snow from their driveways into roads. The snow piles will freeze, creating a danger for low-profile passing cars, which could crash or be damaged. The piles also slow road crews and can clog drains.
And on county roads, it’s against the law. “If an accident occurs because you have plowed the snow into the roadway, you the citizen can be held liable per statute 18-9-107 (obstructing highway or other passageway), for the accident,” county Road and Bridge office manager Virginia McKinney wrote in an email to The Journal.
Mountain roads remained icy and snowpacked in spots, and blowing snow reduced visibility. U.S. Highways 160 and 491 and Colorado Highways 184 and 145 have been sanded and plowed, though patches remain icy after sunset.
The weather will continue to present challenges. The National Weather Service forecasts a 20 percent chance of snow for Tuesday and Wednesday, with highs near 25 degrees and lows just below zero. Mostly sunny or partly cloudy skies and continued low temperatures are forecast through Friday, with temperatures reaching 32 degrees this weekend.
Christmas week was unusually cold and snowy. The average high for Cortez in December is 42; the low, 17; and average snowfall, 7 inches. Since Monday, Dec. 21, lows fell below zero, and highs were in the 20s. The Cortez area received about 14 inches of snow, local weather watcher Jim Andrus said. Since November, the Cortez area has received more than 28 inches.
Residents dig out
This weekend in Cortez, afternoons were sunny, calm and about 24 degrees. Shovels, snow salt, sleds and snow blowers were the hottest items in town.
Major retail stores in Cortez reported that they had sold out of most of the items on Saturday. Wal-Mart had a few shovels, but buyers seemed to be opting for the metal scoop variety.
Big R, at 1319 E. Main St., was out of shovels, salt and blowers, according to manager Thomas Anderson, and was waiting for a resupply from a Big R in Pueblo.
Patricia Rivera, of Ace Hardware Choice Building Supply at 525 N. Broadway, and Andrea Neely, of Slavens True Value Hardware at 237 W. Main St., said they ran out of shovels, salt and sleds on Saturday and expected a new shipment on Tuesday.
The demand for muscle relaxers and painkillers hadn’t caught up with all the activity. Safeway pharmacist Amber Laird on Sunday said she’d noticed no uptick in painkiller prescriptions from sledders or shovelers.
The Southwest Health System reported injuries from falls, car crashes, hypothermia, sprains and fractures. Liz Sellers, chief clinical officer, and Keith Swindell, RN-CEN from the Emergency Department, advised residents who venture outside to let someone else know where you’re heading, bundle up, walk slowly and take wide turns, and check up on friends and family if you haven’t heard from them for a while.
The road home
Four Corners residents who drove east for the holiday reported delays in returning home. One Journal reporter, who was returning to the Cortez area on Sunday, detoured north to Interstate 70 because of the morning closure of I-40.
The Texas Department of Public Safety discouraged all travel throughout the Texas Panhandle because drifting snow had made the roads impassable. That’s a 26-county area and 26,000 square miles. Interstate 40 west of Amarillo to the New Mexico border was closed Sunday night. The snowstorm came on the heels of the deadly EF-4 tornado that hit Garland, Texas, on Saturday.
In New Mexico, Gov. Susana Martinez declared a state of emergency Sunday as residents dealt with a crippling snowstorm. Crews worked around the clock to clear roads and conduct search and rescue operations. Albuquerque police said they responded to 178 weather-related accidents by Saturday night. About 58 involved injuries.
Christmas week in Cortez
The Christmas week snow spurred avalanche warnings for the south San Juan Mountains. The Colorado Avalanche Information Center said avalanches were likely after some areas got up to 5 feet of snow over the past week. Strong westerly winds created cohesive slabs at all elevations. Some large explosive triggered avalanches have run since Tuesday.
The Christmas week storms also contributed to a 19-vehicle pileup on U.S. 491 that closed the highway from about 3:30 p.m. Wednesday until 8:30 a.m. Thursday.
The snow, however, was a boon for ski resorts. Saturday, Ski Hesperus reported a 40-inch base with 6 inches of fresh snow. Powder and packed-powder conditions prevail at Telluride, which reported 147 inches of snow for the season, a 59-inch base at 11,000 feet and 17 open trails out of 147. Purgatory Resort received more than 5 feet of snow in the past week, and Wolf Creek on Saturday reported a midway base of 91 inches of snow, with 240 inches this year.
Red Mountain Pass on U.S. Highway 550 reopened Sunday afternoon after closing for avalanche control work, said Colorado Department of Transportation spokeswoman Nancy Shanks. Since Dec. 19, the pass has received 45 to 50 inches of snow. Coal Bank and Molas passes have received 78 inches, said Shanks. Lizard Head Pass was the only mountain pass in Southwest Colorado that remained open, Shanks said.
Snowpack is above normal for the year. As of Dec. 24, the Dolores and San Miguel basins were at 139 percent of normal precipitation for the year.
The Durango Herald and Associated Press contributed to this story.