After the new Colorado Highway Department was asked to take over the former Otto Mears toll road from Ouray to Silverton in 1916, portions of the route were rebuilt to locations much higher above the Uncompahgre River to avoid frequent flooding. In 1918, this was how a new portion of the road high above the river was being constructed. It was tough, painstaking work by hand and with explosives. Colorado Department of Transportation Archives, Denver.
