Gross Dam Road has reopened for public use

On March 15, staff reported Gross Dam Road impassable due to a rockfall (caused by a recent snowstorm) blocking the road in both directions near the Fisherman’s Parking Lot. As a result, the Fisherman’s Parking Lot was closed, and Gross Dam Road was closed between the T-intersection at Gross Reservoir Headquarters and Flagstaff Road.

Due to the severity of the rockfall, Denver Water approached this work in two phases. The first phase stabilized the slope and removed debris from the road to make it passable for emergency vehicles. The second phase brought on geotechnical and slope management professionals to complete a geohazard assessment around the rockfall area on Gross Dam Road. This assessment evaluated the slopes and rockfaces along the road using the same standards and best practices as state and federal transportation agencies. 

After expert geohazard consultation, rockface scaling and removal of the rockfall, Denver Water installed monitoring equipment on the rockface where the rockfall incident occurred. Testing and calibration of the monitoring equipment is complete and Gross Dam Road is open for public use.

Gross Dam Road is a private road that we allow the public to use when it can be done safely and without impacting Denver Water operations. Should the road need to be closed in the future, we will send another email (make sure you are signed up at Gross Reservoir Expansion Project Email Newsletter Sign-up), post on Nextdoor and update the project MyMap. Please use caution when traveling on Gross Dam Road and follow all signage and personnel instructions.

Denver Water thanks the community for their patience and understanding while we worked to reopen the road safely and efficiently. If you have questions, please stop by Canyon Coffee for our in-person office hours on Wednesdays, 8-10 a.m. (weather permitting), or email us at grossreservoir@denverwater.org.