CDOT Challenges Drivers to Change Their “Peak” Time

February 21, 2014 - Central Eastern Colorado/CDOT Region 1 - Introducing “Oleg”- Accept his Olympic-sized challenge.

DENVER — As the Sochi Olympics draw to a close, and Coloradoans anticipate another weekend of heavy traffic, the I-70 Coalition and CDOT will further encourage motorists to change their peak drive time on I-70 and spend more time having fun in the mountains through a new contest called the Peak Time Challenge. The challenge, a part of the I-70 Coalition and CDOT’s Change Your Peak Time public awareness and traffic safety campaign, will give donated prizes to motorists with the best stories of maximizing fun in the mountains while minimizing time in peak traffic.

The challenge, which begins Feb. 22, asks I-70 travelers to submit their stories to the GoI70.com “Change Your Peak Time” Facebook page. Limited to 150 words, stories should include details about how they managed to spend as little time in their car as possible during their trip to the mountains. The best stories will highlight mountain activities, peak traffic avoidance, photo proof of of travel conditions on I-70 and GoI70.com deals, and will win weekend getaway prizes donated by Copper Mountain Resort, Keystone Resort and Winter Park Resort.

The contest was introduced today  on social media by “Oleg,” a friendly Russian fellow who came to Colorado to escape the Olympic craziness in Sochi, only to find traffic is even worse on I-70. Oleg has discovered how to change his peak time, and offers this Olympic-style competitive challenge to all I-70 drivers. The video can be found at www.GoI70.com/pressplay.  Entries in the contest must be tagged with “#WhatWouldOlegDo?”.

Contest Rules:

  • In 150 words or less, tell us how you spent your mountain adventure, how you avoided eastbound I-70 peak travel time and what GoI70.com Peak Time Deals you took advantage of.

  • Be sure to tell us what activities you did, how long you spent in your car, and your starting and ending destinations (Keystone-Denver, Copper Mountain - Boulder, Breckenridge Resort - Fort Collins, etc.).

  • Use the hashtag #WhatWouldOlegDo? in your Facebook post.

  • Post a photo/s along with your story.  You can also tweet or Instagram your photos with #WhatWouldOlegDo.

  • The three contest periods are Feb. 22-March 5; March 6-March 19; and March 20-April 2. Each contest period will have one winner.

  • Entries will be judged on creativity of activities, actual time vs average time of a winter eastbound commute,photo proof of travel conditions on I-70 and the participation in GoI70.com Peak Time Deals.

  • Three winners will receive a weekend getaway package including lodging, lift tickets and more at Copper Mountain, Winter Park or Keystone resorts.

CDOT’s Change Your Peak Time campaign began this year and works to encourage motorists to skip the mountain return rush between 1p.m. and 7 p.m. on weekends and holidays, and instead “Press Play, Avoid Delay” by spending extra time having fun in the mountains rather than spending that time in peak traffic. CDOT has partnered with the I-70 Coalition, a consortium representing the mountain communities and resorts, to give travel tips and travel forecasts, and to offer discounts, deals and incentives for travelers interested in avoiding traffic by staying in the mountains for an extra hour or two. Peak Time Deals at www.goi70.com are updated regularly, and list locations of restaurants, entertainment options and retailers along the I-70 corridor offering weekend discounts. In addition to deals offered near resorts, Silverthorne, Idaho Springs and Georgetown also offer incentives for travelers who want to leave early to beat the peak traffic, or who have already hit the road but would like to take a break from traffic on their way home. We encourage motorists to take advantage of these offers and to change their travel times in order to take advantage of all that our mountain towns have to offer.

Peak Time Challenge rules and details can be found at www.GoI70.com/pressplay.