The Red Mountain Electrical Reliability and Broadband Improvement Project
The electrical transmission power line that traverses the beautiful and treacherous Red Mountain Pass along US 550, needs to be re-built in order to continue to serve as backup power source for consumers in the communities of Ridgway and Ouray.
Originally constructed in 1928, the Red Mountain line has been maintained, repaired and upgraded many times, but has reached its functional end-of-life. A new line, engineered with current technologies and design practices will be safer and more practical to maintain in the difficult mountain terrain.
PROJECT UPDATE: SECTION 3a - CITY OF OURAY WORK AND RED MOUNTAIN SUBSTATION TO ALPINE LOOP TURNOFF
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Projected Travel Impacts:
Week of August 18th:
Tuesday 19th through Friday 22nd, during work hours, work crews will be drilling and pouring concrete foundations in an area near Oak Street in Ouray, on certain days. This may require a partial closing of Oak Street between Queen Street and 7th Avenue. Please be prepared for delays and/or detours.
Week of August 25th:
- Oak Street between Queen Street and 7th Avenue closed during working hours on certain days during this week, (exact days to be determined based on weather and other factors). Please be prepared for delays and/or detours.
- At least two more days of intermittent traffic holds on Hwy 550 as work crews fly in (via helicopter) and set new poles. (exact days to be determined by weather and other factors.)
September 2nd- 4th, 9th-11th, 16th-18th (weather dependent)
- As previously announced: 5-Hour FULL CLOSURES on HWY 550: 8 AM to 1 PM
- Hwy 550 mile marker 87.5 (north end of Ironton Park) to mile marker 89.4 (immediately south of Hwy 550/Ouray County Road 18 intersection)
- Crews pulling wire to create a new, more reliable backup electrical feed. This new line can shorten the span of power outages in the future by providing an alternate pathway for electric service.
- CDOT has issued highway closure permit for this work
- Crews will maintain thru access to Ouray County Road 18 during the closures. Their wire pulling equipment will be located within the large pull-off/unloading area at the Hwy 550/CR 18 intersection. This will limit the number of vehicles/trailers that are able to use this area for unloading.
September 10th-12th (weather dependent)
- 3 day window for using helicopter to set structures on the west side of Ouray
- Will only occur on one day for a duration of 4 hours
- Work will likely occur in the morning after 8am to take advantage of cooler temperatures and calmer winds
- Traffic will be held along Oak St, Queen St and Pinecrest Dr when helicopter is carrying loads over these roads
- Depending on variables like weather, and helicopter availability, not all of the above dates/times may be necessary. Check www.cotrip.org for the latest updates.
Project Status:
- Awaiting materials
- Permitting / design finalized
- Scheduling community outreach
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The project is being conducted in several phases. This construction approach offers a number of benefits:
- It respects the construction period which is limited by weather, terrain and USFS environmental restrictions.
- It spreads the upfront construction cost of the entire project over several years to minimize the impact to SMPA members
- It allows for the extended material lead times that have affected the industry since the global pandemic.
- It allows SMPA to begin capitalizing the cost of the re-build by constructing the flattest section first.
- It minimizes the impacts of temporary traffic stops on the connected communities of Ouray and Silverton.
Project Phase Descriptions
In 2022 and 2023, SMPA worked closely with U.S. Forest Service (USFS) representatives, the Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT), and stakeholders in neighboring communities, in order to conduct vegetation removal above US Highway 550. This served to mitigate fire risk in the area and it cleared the work zone for re-build operations. Thanks to contractor, VM West, for a job well done.
Phase 2, which is the re-construction of 4.5 miles of 44kV transmission line between the Idarado and Red Mountain electrical substations is completed. All original line / structures in this section were replaced with new, environmentally-tailored structures that are fewer in number. Thanks to PAR Electric and ESC Engineering!
Reconstruction of Red Mountain line from the Red Mountain substation to the Alpine Loop turnoff (South of Ruby Walls) as well as upgrades at the old Ouray substation and nearby structures are scheduled to take place in the summer of 2025.
Reconstruction of Red Mountain line from the Alpine Loop turnoff, North to Ouray, including the Ruby Walls section, are tentatively scheduled to take place in the summer of 2026.
Reconstruction of Red Mountain line section 3, from Idarado substation to Burro Bridge Substation is tentatively scheduled to take place in the summer of 2027.