DOUGLAS PASS, Colo. (KREX) — Potholes, cracks, and destroyed guardrails litter a windy section of the two-lane highway leading north over Douglas Pass.
This pass connects Loma and Rangely through State Highway 139. Highway 139 started as a dirt road on the other side of the mountain roughly 100 years ago. It then transitioned to the other side of the hill in the early 60's and was paved by the late 60's.
Nichol's Store Owner William Hume finds himself behind the wheel navigating the hour-and-a-half drive to Loma, then Grand Junction, quite often.
Rangely Marketing Director Jeannie Caldwell tells WesternSlopeNow this road is the only way into Grand Junction. There's a road connecting Rangely to Rifle, but it adds many miles. It's also a safer route than Douglas pass on Highway 139.
Local Reuben Talbot has lived in Rangely for five years. He says this isn't the first year Douglas Pass has been in bad shape, and William admits, at least for him, it's still a better alternative to the dirt road it used to be or the long drive through rifle.
Jeannie says while locals and travelers would love to see a summer makeover, road crews do preserve the road in the winter.
CDOT Northwestern Colorado Communications Manager Elise Thatcher tells WesternSlopeNow that CDOT is aware of this degrading road, and a plan is starting to come into place to help. However, she tells WesternSlopeNow that any actual construction is still years away.
Thatcher says, in the meantime, if you drive 139, drive with caution, stay alert, and never swerve to avoid potholes - you could wind up at the bottom of the mountain or in a head-on crash.