In the fall of 2008, IPF completed the final section of retaining wall to stabilize the Middle Cut.
IPF Accomplishments
2005: Middle Cut Stabilization. Work began on IPF's fourth stabilization wall in the one- and one-half mile section of the Pass known as the “Top Cut” just below the summit.
2003: Big Cut Wall Completion. IPF constructed the final 60-foot section of retaining wall at the Big Cut.
 2002: Slope Reconstruction. IPF rebuilt the slope above the rock retaining wall at the Big Cut and revegetated the hillside with 600 native willows, trees, wildflowers, and grass seed.
2001: Rockfall & Erosion Control. Partnering with the Colorado Department of Transportation, IPF completed major rockfall and erosion control at the Big Cut. The joint projects cost $425,000.
1998-99: Big Cut Stabilization. A 420-ft.-long, 20-ft.-high retaining wall was constructed to stabilize the largest, most extensively eroded slope at the Top Cut.
1998: Runoff Control. Asphalt curbing was installed all along the roadway edge at the Top Cut to control erosion.
1996-97: Twin Gullies. Rock walls were built to stabilize two severely eroding gullies at the Top Cut. Graded slopes above the walls were then revegetated. |
For the past nine years, IPF has focused on the Top Cut area of the Pass, a one- and one-half mile stretch of the most seriously eroded slopes just below the summit on the western side. Erosion, which was set in motion when the 1882 stagecoach road was transformed into Highway 82 over Independence Pass, has steadily devastated several ecosystems at the Top Cut. IPF began on-the-ground work in 1996 to stabilize and revegetate the hillsides above and below the roadway.
The damage along the Top Cut is divided into a series of smaller “cuts.” In the entire length of the Top Cut, the most extensive  erosion damage over the decades had occurred in the section known as the “Big Cut.” During the 1998-99 work seasons, IPF constructed a 420-ft.-long, 20-ft.-high retaining wall to stabilize the Big Cut. In 2001, IPF and the Colorado Department of Transportation teamed up to carry out the most ambitious stabilization work yet undertaken at the Top Cut. The project continued stabilization of the Big Cut while simultaneously reducing rockfall hazards elsewhere at the Top Cut.
In 2002, IPF rebuilt the slope above the rock retaining wall that had been built at the Big Cut in 1998-99 and revegetated the hillside with 600 native willows, trees, wildflowers, and grass seed. A 60-foot length of rock wall was built in September 2003 to complete stabilization of the Big Cut. The slope above the wall, which is now nearly 500 feet long, was then reconstructed, stabilized with turf reinforcement matting, and planted with grass seed and shrubs.
In the fall of 2005, after a year of planning and discussion, IPF began work on its fourth retaining wall to stabilize the 330-foot-long "Middle Cut." A 15-foot-high boulder wall, stretching 150 feet long, was built. Next year IPF plans to complete Middle Cut wall construction. The entire project, which will include slope reconstruction and revegetation, may take five years to complete and cost $400,000.
Hydroseeding makes an important contribution to IPF's revegetation work on the Pass. Every year, portions of the hillsides below the road are hydroseeded with native grass seed. |
