Historically, CDOT does not see major spikes in traffic volumes for Memorial Day weekend
“Although many people view Memorial Day as the start of summer, wet weather in the forecast could see more folks sticking close to home,” said Rod Mead, Operations Manager at the Colorado Traffic Management Center. “Our traffic data suggests that Memorial weekend is much more weather dependent than July 4th and Labor Day, because it doesn’t quite feel like summer yet, especially with the rain and snow we’ve been seeing over the past few weeks,” he said.
In an effort to provide smooth travel for motorists who are planning to travel this weekend, CDOT projects have suspended lane closures along the I-70 corridor as well as statewide. If an emergency situation occurs then it is possible crews would need to implement lane closures for safety.
Several of the state’s high mountain passes, including Mt. Evans (SH 5) and Trail Ridge Road (US 34), were unable to open this weekend, a goal CDOT strives to accomplish each year, due to snowfall that occurred over the last few weeks. Colorado’s highest continuous seasonal highway, Independence Pass, did open on Thursday. Motorists are encouraged to check road conditions before venturing out.**
Other recreational amenities that CDOT crews maintain that are open this weekend include the Vail Pass bike path on both the east and west side and the Glenwood Canyon bike path. Crews also completed maintenance work Thursday on the ever popular Hanging Lake rest area.
CDOT is reminding motorists to consult the department’s traveler information tools:
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Visit www.cotrip.org and CDOT Mobile;
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Call 511 anywhere in Colorado for periodically updated road conditions;
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Go to GoI70.com – hosted by the I-70 Coalition – to see weekly I-70 travel forecasts based on historical data and how weather, construction or events may impact the mountain commute;
**For the most current information on conditions and statuses of other mountain passes including Guanella (Clear Creek/Park counties), Cottonwood (Eagle/Garfield counties) and Kebler (Gunnison) it is best to consult those county websites.
