LOCAL TRAVELING CHALLENGES
GLENWOOD SPRINGS—There will be occasional, one lane closures both northbound and southbound on the Grand Avenue Bridge during the month of February. C-DOT says the closures are necessary so crews can access construction on the traffic bridge walls downtown. Also, 2017 is the “year of the bridge” that everyone is bracing for. Sometime in mid-February, the steel girders for the new Grand Avenue Bridge will be arriving. To put the girders up, I-70 traffic will have to be detoured during the evening hours.
MUDDY LANDFILL
RIFLE—If you’re planning a trip to the Garfield County Landfill, go in a four-wheel drive vehicle. County officials say the mud at the dump is widespread and deep. They say you’ll need four-wheel drive until conditions improve.
QUAKE ROCKS SILT, NEW CASTLE
SILT—A minor earthquake shook the towns of Silt and New Castle early Monday afternoon. According to the National Earthquake Information Center in Golden, the quake was measured at 3.3 on the Richter Scale. No damage was reported in either town but several people said they certainly felt the earth move. It’s the largest earthquake to hit the area in 10 years and the second quake since one measured at 2.9, struck New Castle this past Christmas Day.
X-GAMES ARRESTS UP
ASPEN—Fewer teens were cited for MIP (minor in possession) during last weekend’s Winter X Games at Buttermilk. That’s the good news. The bad news is, more people were busted for a variety of things ranging from possession of LSD and Ecstasy to fighting. According to law enforcement reports, three drivers were arrested for DUI.
NO QUARANTINE FOR WEST SLOPE VINEYARDS
GRAND JUNCTION—An insect has been damaging western slope vineyards but it’s not deterring grape-growers in the region. Officials with the Colorado Association for Viticulture and Enology announced they will not pursue a quarantine of phylloxera. CAVE Board President Kaibab Sauvage says it’s too late for a quarantine to stop the bug from spreading. Phylloxera has been found at four vineyards in Palisade and on Orchard Mesa as well as a vineyard in the North Fork Valley. Association members say they prefer to educate vineyard owners about the grapevine-damaging bug rather than paying the state to enforce a quarantine.
