The Night Trucks Leaving Woody Creek Are Hauling Material for Aspen's New Runway

Most people in the valley expect the Aspen/Pitkin County Airport project to start on April 4, 2027, when the runway closes. For Smith Hill Way, it starts this month. Elam Construction is scheduled to haul from the gravel pit at 520 Raceway Drive after dark on weeknights through Nov. 21, sending trucks up Highway 82 to the airfield and finishing each night by 4 a.m. The county permit allows up to 130 loads a night.

Woody Creek is where the new runway's material comes from, and the hauling is timed to keep it out of daytime traffic. What happens on these November nights shapes how much of next summer's construction traffic shows up on Highway 82 in daylight. A second decision comes before the Pitkin County commissioners on Wednesday, Nov. 18: whether the pit can keep crushing gravel through the winter.

Where the airport closure starts

The airport will close to all commercial and general aviation flights from 11 p.m. on Sunday, April 4, 2027, until 7 p.m. on Friday, Nov. 19, 2027. During that time crews will rebuild the runway and shift it to meet current Federal Aviation Administration design standards. The Aspen Daily News described the result as a runway rebuilt "in a wider layout."

A runway needs a lot of aggregate, and the closest large source is the pit Pitkin County lists as the Elam/Vagneur gravel operation, off Raceway Drive in Woody Creek. The airport's construction updates say why the material is moving now. Stockpiling it before construction "will help reduce daytime truck traffic and ensure materials are available for the 2027 runway reconstruction, helping keep the project on schedule."

Each load moved this month is one fewer load on Highway 82 in daytime traffic next summer. People who drive Smith Hill Way after dark will carry part of that trade this month.

What the county changed

Elam already had permission for some night hauling before this fall. The airport schedule needed more than that. In mid-October the Pitkin County Board of County Commissioners passed an emergency resolution that amended the pit's 2009 approval. The Aspen Daily News reported the size of the increase:

According to a Citizen Portal summary of the Oct. 13 meeting, staff and contractors said the extra night work was meant to "derisk next year's construction window." The actual schedule is narrower than the approval. On Nov. 5 the airport announced two weeks of hauling, and Pitkin County repeated that schedule on Nov. 6.

1. Week one: Monday, Nov. 9, through Saturday, Nov. 14, 7 p.m. to 4 a.m.
2. Week two: Monday, Nov. 16, through Saturday, Nov. 21, 7 p.m. to 4 a.m.
3. Weekends: No hauling on Saturday or Sunday nights in either week.

The first week is scheduled to finish early Saturday, Nov. 14. The second week ends early Saturday, Nov. 21, the weekend before Thanksgiving. The Daily News reported that Elam does not plan to go later than that:

"That truncates the plan for this year, as the company doesn't plan to extend the night work past Thanksgiving, a representative told commissioners. Elam will come back to commissioners with another request for 2027."

Elam has already said it will ask for more in 2027, so the night hauling is likely to come back to the commissioners next year.

What happens at the pit after dark, and what doesn't

Night work at the pit is limited, and the limits matter most to the homes closest to Raceway Drive and Smith Hill Way. The airport's Nov. 5 update and the county's October action set these terms:

• Loading and hauling only. No crushing and no asphalt production at night.
• No engine brakes. Drivers have been told to keep speeds down and not use Jake brakes.
• Weather stops the hauling. Trucks stay parked if weather or road conditions make night driving unsafe.
• Notice to the caucus. The meeting summary lists 72 hours' notice to the caucus among the conditions.
• Earlier rules still apply. According to the Daily News, the pit's existing requirements for noise, air quality, traffic control and notifying nearby residents stay in effect.

The route is fixed: Smith Hill Way to Highway 82, then up-valley to the airport. The airport warns of more truck traffic and possible noise along both roads. If you have a question or complaint, the airport's construction line is 970-920-5284. Leave a voicemail and the airport says it will call back within 24 hours.

Daytime roadwork near the airport is mostly finished

For much of the summer and fall, the airport's daytime work around Owl Creek affected drivers heading up-valley. That work is mostly done. On Oct. 29 crews finished paving Owl Creek Trail on its new, permanent route. Owl Creek Road was paved on Oct. 31 and reopened to one lane in each direction. Paving on the widened Highway 82 shoulder near the construction entrance was finished the same day.

Some finishing work remains on Owl Creek Road, including ditch work, topsoil and seeding. Lanes will close now and then for that work, by day or by night, but only while crews are working. All of this was early work for the 2027 runway. It included moving Owl Creek Road to fit the new runway alignment and setting up construction access and staging areas for the closure.

The daytime roadwork near the airport is mostly behind drivers, and the remaining heavy work has moved to night hours closer to Woody Creek. The airport and county planned it so the large volumes of material move before the airfield closes, outside daytime traffic hours.

Nov. 18: what happens at the pit this winter

The night hauling is scheduled to end before Thanksgiving. The pit's winter plans are still undecided. On Wednesday, Nov. 18, the Board of County Commissioners will hold a public hearing on a broader application from Elam Construction, Case PLAN.2881.2026. The county's public notice lists three requests:

• Annual review. A review of the pit's 2024 and 2025 operating seasons, required under BOCC Resolution Nos. 99-69, 052-2009 and 098-2024.
• Snow storage. Special review to keep the commercial snow dumping, trucking and storage operation at the site.
• Winter crushing. An amendment to Resolution No. 052-2009 that would extend crushing from Nov. 30, 2026, through March 31, 2027, "to support enabling projects at the Aspen/Pitkin County Airport in anticipation of the April 4, 2027 closure of the airport to replace the runway."

Crushing is the work the night-hauling resolution left out. The winter request is about whether it continues in daytime through the cold months, right up to the runway closure. It has not been decided. The commissioners take it up on Nov. 18.

The hearing starts at noon, or as soon after as the agenda allows, in the BOCC Conference Room on the first floor of 530 East Main Street in Aspen. The county says to check the meeting agenda beforehand for remote-attendance details. Elam's full application is posted online. Comments and questions go to Tami Kochen at Pitkin County, 970-452-7018 or [email protected].

For nearby homes, the night trucks are the near-term issue. The winter crushing request and the 2027 hauling request Elam has said it will bring are what decide how long the airport project stays in Woody Creek. The airport's construction updates and Pitkin County's legal notices will have the next steps. The airport also sends Frequent Flyer Updates by email.

Bruce Johnson follows county decisions like this one because they affect how a property along the Roaring Fork is valued, from the hours on the roads it uses to the work going on next door. If the airport's 2027 schedule is part of your planning for a Woody Creek home, a current valuation is a good place to start. Request a Home Valuation.