Traffic delays planned for I-70 mountain corridor next week

CLEAR CREEK COUNTY – Anyone planning to travel the I-70 mountain corridor through Clear Creek County next Monday and Tuesday should plan on adding about 45 minutes to their travel time.

On Monday, June 6, and tentatively Tuesday, June 7, Colorado Department of Transportation crews will perform rock scaling operations above County Road 308 between Lawson and Empire Junction in Clear Creek County. This work requires stopping I-70 traffic in both directions intermittently each day between the hours of 9 a.m. and 3 p.m. To keep travelers safe, eastbound I-70 traffic will be stopped at mile post 232 and westbound traffic at mile post 234 while crews remove loose rocks from the rock wall above the roadway. CR 308 will be closed completely between the hours of 8 a.m. and 4 p.m.

Crews will work for 20 minutes at a time to remove loosened rocks from the rock face using hand tools and splitting large boulders from the rock slide using mechanical methods. I-70 traffic will be stopped during this time and crews will verify the slope is stable before releasing traffic. Depending on the length of the queue that needs to clear, drivers could experience delays of up to 45 minutes. As soon as the queues are cleared in each direction, I-70 traffic will again be stopped so scaling operations can continue. 

For information on I-70 travel conditions, visitCOTrip.org, sign up for GovDelivery or call 511. Updates are also available via Twitter @coloradodot and CDOT’s Facebook page at Facebook.com/coloradodot.