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Colorado State Highway 82 is a state highway of the U.S. state of Colorado. Approximately 85 mi (136 km) long, it provides the principal transportation artery of the Roaring Fork Valley on the Colorado Western Slope, running from Interstate 70 at Glenwood Springs southeast past Carbondale, Basalt and Aspen. Southeast of Aspen it climbs to 12,095 ft on a 6% grade at Independence Pass (open late May–October) before descending to meet U.S. Highway 24 south of Leadville in the Arkansas River valley. At its northwestern end it furnishes the principal vehicle access between most of Colorado and the Aspen/Snowmass resorts. Recently widened to four-lanes along the 50 mile (80 km) section between Glenwood Springs and Aspen, it is heavily used commuting route for day workers between bedroom communities in the lower valley and the resort community of Aspen. In addition to its termini at Interstate 70 and U.S. 24, at Carbondale it intersects Colorado State Highway 133, which furnishes a route over McClure Pass to the North Fork Valley near Paonia. The highway roughly follows the Roaring Fork River along its entire route, offering scenic views of Mount Sopris in the lower end of the valley. The Roaring Fork Transit Authority provides well-used public transportation along the highway between Glenwood Springs and Aspen.
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