FILE - In this July 15, 2016 file photo, traffic is backed up both going up and down the Mount Evans Scenic Byway just below the summit of Mount Evans near Idaho Springs, Colo. In a 2011 case, Supreme Court nominee Neil Gorsuch was on a panel that found that the U.S. Forest Service could legally charge fees to visit the summit because it provided amenities like a nature center, which thousands of visitors use annually. The people who filed the lawsuit had argued that they should not have to pay to visit Mount Evans if they don’t use those services. Writing for the panel, Gorsuch said the fees were permissible, but left open the possibility that the fees could be challenged, just not the way the plaintiffs sought to. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)

DENVER  |  Mount Evans Road will be back to opening at its normal Memorial Day weekend date this year after a shorter season than usual for motorists in 2017.

KCNC-TV reported Monday that the Colorado Department of Transportation announced the opening of the road to Mount Evans, one of Colorado’s 14ers.

The road to Summit Lake will open first and the snow on the final 5 miles (8 kilometers) to the summit will be cleared later.

Last year, crews didn’t get Mount Evans Road cleared until June 8. It closed in early September.

Crews in Rocky Mountain National Park are also working to clear another popular high-elevation road in Colorado. Trail Ridge Road could open in time for Memorial Day weekend.

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Information from: KCNC-TV, https://www.cbsdenver.com

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