Flood waters wash across CR 11--High Park Road Tuesday cutting off employee access and casino traffic into the Cripple Creek and Victor area.
Rainfall of 1 ½ to 2 inches turned quiet streambeds in Fremont County into raging torrents Tuesday. County Road 11, the High Park Road to Cripple Creek, was closed to all traffic early Tuesday morning as flood waters poured across the road about a mile north of the junction with Colorado Highway 9.
The other routes to Victor and Cripple Creek, Phantom Canyon and Shelf Roads, were also shut down due to flooding. Teller County Road crews reported Four Mile Creek was running two feet high over the low water crossing at the Fremont-Teller County line on Shelf Road. In Phantom Canyon, Eight Mile Creek was transformed into a river tossing boulders and large timber around in the narrow canyon. Phantom Canyon Road was washed out in several spots and large boulders fell from the cliffs to block the roadway.
High Park Road was expected to reopen once the water subsides but Phantom Canyon and Shelf Road will remain closed until crews can assess all the damage and begin making repairs. That won’t happen until water levels drop and conditions start to dry out.
Eight Mile Creek was turned into a raging river Tuesday afternoon by all the heavy rain. The canyon road was washed out in several spots. It's expected to take road crews several weeks to assess and repair all the damage.