CDOT Anticipates Holiday Travel to Increase After Christmas Day

Historically, travel appears to increase on the I-70 corridor after Christmas as motorists head to the mountains to enjoy skiing or other outdoor recreation.

“All things being equal, if this year reflects last year, the traffic west will begin to jump the day after Christmas with people heading west to spend the week between the holidays in the mountains,” said Rod Mead, Operations Manager at the Colorado Traffic Management Center.  “Last year, both Christmas Eve and Christmas Day were low volume days. The day after Christmas had a slight increase coming east, but a significant increase going west of around 10,000 vehicles,” he stated.

Last year’s traffic counts:

12/24/2013 Christmas Eve (Tuesday)
Eisenhower/Johnson Memorial Tunnel (EJMT) Counts: 13,650 EB, 14,756 WB

12/25/2013 Christmas Day (Wednesday)
EJMT Tunnel Counts: 13,292 EB, 14,594 WB

12/26/2013 Thursday
EJMT Tunnel Counts: 16,241 EB, 24,178 WB

12/27/2013 Friday
EJMT Tunnel counts: 20,022 EB, 26,223 WB

12/28/2013 Saturday
EJMT Tunnel Counts: 20,706 EB, 23,270 WB

12/29/2013 Sunday
EJMT Tunnel Counts: 19,259 EB 17,534 WB

CDOT reminds motorists to allow for extra travel time and to always be prepared when traveling during winter weather events. Winter driving tips can be found online at http://www.coloradodot.info/travel/winter-driving.

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