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Proposed Road Closures In Snowy Range To Be Discussed

The Medicine Bow-Routt National Forest is looking at closing or limiting access to some 150 miles of forest roads on the west side of the Snowy Range near Saratoga. Every few years, the Forest Service is required to evaluate its roads to make sure they are safe and to budget their upkeep. Forest Service Spokesman Aaron Voos says some roads—like the Cedar Pass Road over Kennedy Peak—just aren’t salvageable.

Literally, the entire road slides down the mountain. And we have tried to fix it a few times, but it just slides down again.

“The road on the west side of Kennedy Peak was built in a poor location. And it keeps basically sliding off the mountain. Literally, the entire road slides down the mountain. And we’ve tried to fix it a few times, but it just slides down again.”

Voos says the Forest Service has been hearing lots of strong opinions already—both for and against the proposed changes.

“We’re not trying to shut people out of the forest,” he says. “We’re trying to live in the budget that we’ve been given and provide a road and trail system that will be beneficial to the public.”

A meeting at the Elk Mountain Senior Center will be open for public comment Tuesday, April 14, at 6:30 p.m. and another at the Platte Valley Community Center following the County Commissioners meeting in Saratoga on Tuesday, April 21 at 5 p.m.

Melodie Edwards is the host and producer of WPM's award-winning podcast The Modern West. Her Ghost Town(ing) series looks at rural despair and resilience through the lens of her hometown of Walden, Colorado. She has been a radio reporter at WPM since 2013, covering topics from wildlife to Native American issues to agriculture.
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