Sun Jan 04 23:50:00 UTC 2026: ## Loveland Pass Avalanche Systems to be Replaced Following Failures
Loveland Pass, CO – January 3, 2026 – The Colorado Transportation Commission has approved $2 million to replace the existing avalanche mitigation systems on Loveland Pass (U.S. Highway 6). The current Gazex systems, installed in 2015 along the frequently active Seven Sisters slide path, have been deemed unreliable and prone to failure.
According to Bethany Nicholas, CDOT Deputy Chief Financial Officer, the systems have experienced three failures, with the most recent occurring in February. While CDOT Maintenance and Operations Director Shawn Smith clarified that a “catastrophic failure” poses no risk to the public, these failures require maintenance crews to manually remove the damaged cylinders and resort to using an avalauncher, a compressed-gas cannon, to control the avalanche paths. Last winter, a vehicle was caught in an avalanche from the Seven Sisters, closing Loveland Pass for several hours, highlighting the importance of reliable mitigation.
CDOT hopes to install a new system similar to those used along the I-70 corridor, which can be loaded by helicopter for efficient operation. Although the specific replacement system has not yet been determined, CDOT Strategic Communications Lead Stacia Sellers assured the public that “CDOT will still be able to safely conduct avalanche mitigation on Loveland Pass,” and that the replacement, scheduled for this summer, “will not impact the traveling public.”
CDOT also has Gazex systems on Berthoud Pass, Monarch Pass, and U.S. Highway 550, though no announcement has been made regarding their replacement. The current Gazex systems on Loveland Pass are no longer under warranty.
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