Officials told the public there was a mudslide on Independence Pass that closed the road. They lied. 

If you were traveling through Independence Pass on August 4, your GPS might've rerouted you for a road closure due to a mudslide. CDOT's traffic page, COTrip.org, also showed a road closure for the same reason. Even the Pitkin County Sheriff's Office tweeted the information. 

According to internal emails, there was no mudslide. Conversations pointed to state employees wanting the road closed that day because of heavy traffic. Vehicle traffic through Independence Pass picked up last week following the I-70 highway closure through Glenwood Canyon–because of a real mudslide. 

While driving through Independence Pass is achievable, it's more dangerous. CDOT often cautions drivers when using the pass because of the narrow and winding roads that are difficult to drive in inclement weather. (You can read all of CDOT's warnings about driving Independence Pass here.)

CDOT officials wanted people to stop using Independence Pass as a detour around the I-70 closures, mainly because the high volume of traffic was creating a dangerous situation. 

The CDOT's Director, Shoshanna Lew, mandated that the department "reopen" the road, despite some feeling it would hurt CDOT's credibility. 

Several emails also noted officials attempted to close the pass several times throughout the season, naming flash flood risk as the primary reason. 

Currently, Independence Pass is listed as open, and the COTrip website updated its website to give proper warning while I-70 closures remained. The Independence Pass alert simply reads: "No vehicles over 35-feet long on Independence Pass." 

Did you try traveling Independence Pass on August 4? Did your GPS allow you? Let us know in the comments.