Publish Date: 6/16/2006

A gate blocks the approach to the Needle’s Eye Tunnel on the eastern side of Rollins Pass west of Rollinsville. The tunnel was closed in 1990 after a portion of the tunnel collapsed.Times-Call/Richard M. Hackett

Commissioners lukewarm about reopening Rollins Pass
Road could link Rollinsville to Winter Park

By Brad Turner
The Daily Times-Call

BOULDER — A proposal to reopen a historic mountain pass between Rollinsville and Winter Park for the first time in 16 years drew a skeptical response from Boulder County commissioners Thursday.

Commissioners from Gilpin and Grand counties visited the Boulder County Courthouse to lobby for reopening the 32-mile Rollins Pass, which closed in 1990 after a portion of the Needle’s Eye Tunnel collapsed.

But Boulder County commissioners said clearing the tunnel could draw thousands of motorists to the pass each year, and those visitors might damage the forest and sensitive alpine tundra along the road.

“If opening up the tunnel means more traffic up there and more off-road trips up there, then I’m not interested,” Boulder County Commissioner Tom Mayer said.

Rollins Pass, which meanders through Gilpin, Boulder and Grand counties, allowed trains to cross the Continental Divide in the early 1900s. After rail companies abandoned the line, motorists drove the railroad bed from the 1920s to 1979, when a collapse at the Needle’s Eye Tunnel closed the route.

Officials reopened the road in 1987, and as many as 22,000 cars crossed the pass each summer, according to transportation officials. In 1990, another rockfall at the tunnel injured a Denver firefighter, cost Boulder County taxpayers about $85,000 in liability payouts and closed the pass again.

The narrow road remains open, but the blocked tunnel prevents most drivers from crossing the pass. A bumpy, unofficial side trail still allows off-roaders to drive around the blocked tunnel.

Boulder County’s participation is key for the road to be reopened, because Needle’s Eye Tunnel sits just inside the county’s southwest corner. A 1992 study estimated stabilizing the tunnel would cost between $300,000 and $600,000, Boulder County deputy transportation director Clark Misner said.

But Commissioner Will Toor said he would be reluctant to clear the tunnel unless another government, a historic group or the U.S. Forest Service accepts liability for a potential future collapse.

“I’ve got real doubts, but I’m willing to hear a case for it,” Toor said.

Grand County leaders said the road should be open because of its historic and recreational value.

“That was one of my dad’s favorite Sunday drives,” Grand County Commissioner Duane Dailey said. “We’d come over and get a Duffy’s pop and go back home.”

Gilpin County Commissioner Forrest Whitman suggested allowing guided tours of the pass, similar to historic tours of mines near Central City, to help boost the local economy.

Several local history enthusiasts also advocated reopening the pass and improving the road to allow two-wheel-drive cars access. Clearing the tunnel could potentially cut down on the number of people who drive up the road and explore off-trail when they reach the barricaded tunnel, Boulder Historical Society member Karl Anuta said.

The three county governments plan to discuss the matter again later this summer.