Dobson Pass reopened after scary Sunday

Dobson Pass has been reopened for travel after being closed down for much of Sunday afternoon.

Shoshone County Public Works office made the call shortly after midday due to the wild weekend weather.

Dobson Pass has historically been a quicker way for people to travel between Wallace and the Prichard/Murray area, but on Sunday afternoon, the road was simply too dangerous for the county to leave open.

Frosty Greenfield, Shoshone County Public Works director made the call to close the road after deeming it unsafe.

“We just got too much too fast for us to be able to handle,” Greenfield said. “We normally maintain and are able to keep Dobson open, but with the snow volume mixed with the high winds, it was almost zero visibility.”

Greenfield was able to get crews back up on the roads safely on Monday to not only clear the roads, but also gravel them for safe travel.

As mentioned, Dobson is kept open year-round, but both Moon and Thompson Passes are still closed, as the county does not perform winter maintenance or plowing on either pass during the months of the closure.

According to Greenfield, Moon Pass usually is reopened by Mother’s Day, while Thompson Pass is both weather dependent and dependent upon when the Montana side is ready to be reopened.

Please contact Shoshone County Public Works Department with any questions or comments at 208-753-5475.