Crews to Start Installing Technology to Monitor Speeds, Weather on I-70 in Glenwood Canyon

GARFIELD COUNTY—This fall, CDOT will begin installing interconnected weather and road sensors, cameras, speed-detection devices and variable speed limit signs at 17 locations on the I-70 Glenwood Canyon corridor. Work is scheduled to be completed in October 2018.

Work will extend about 14 miles on eastbound I-70 (from mile points 116.91-130.93) and about 15 miles on westbound I-70 (from mile points 115.88-131.08, including the Hanging Lake Tunnel area).

Project Work

Work includes:

• installing three weather stations for live monitoring and reporting of weather conditions;
• installing 73 standard static signs;
• installing 17 new dual, variable speed limit signs;
• replacing five single variable speed limit signs;
• removing 38 existing static signs;
• installing nine closed-circuit cameras for live monitoring and viewing of roadway conditions; and
• adding other surface and subsurface conduit, and related improvements to guide the display of the variable speed limits.

Benefits

This technology—operated by people and the technology itself—will:

• give drivers advance warning and generate a safer traffic flow to decrease accidents in the canyon.
• increase the standard speed limit during good conditions to 60 mph for passenger vehicles and 50 mph for heavy vehicles (over 26,000 gross vehicle weight), in most areas of the canyon.
• lower the speed limit to assist with incident management, conditions created by inclement weather, and maintenance and construction.