More Traffic Expected in Mountain Areas for Holiday Weekend
The Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT) is reminding drivers to anticipate heavier than normal traffic along the Interstate 70 corridor and adjacent highways for the next few days, as people hit the road for the three-day Martin Luther King Jr. weekend.
“This is the time of year when we tend to see the ski traffic increase,” said I-70 Mountain Corridor Operations Manager Patrick Chavez. “More snow, Presidents Day Weekend and spring break all combine for additional traffic on the mountain highways, not just this weekend, but continuing through the end of March.”
Traffic on I-70 west typically increases on the Friday prior to the MLK weekend, with westbound traffic expected to be heavier than normal Friday and Saturday, with heavier than normal traffic anticipated on eastbound I-70 Sunday and Monday, especially between Eagle County and the Denver area.
To help minimize traffic impacts west of Denver, CDOT is suspending its rockfall mitigation project on U.S. 6 through Clear Creek Canyon on Monday, Jan. 21, for MLK day.
Last year’s MLK weekend vehicles counts at the Eisenhower/Johnson Memorial Tunnels:
|
2018 |
Westbound |
Eastbound |
Total |
|
Friday, January 12 |
28,503 |
17,583 |
46,086 |
|
Saturday, January 13 |
29,830 |
25,315 |
55,145 |
|
Sunday, January 14 |
21,663 |
28,392 |
50,055 |
|
Monday, January 15 |
14,049 |
27,008 |
41,057 |
|
Total |
94,045 |
98,298 |
192,343 |
Current forecasts are anticipating adverse weather conditions west of the Denver area, Thursday through Saturday. The heaviest snowfall is likely Friday, with three to six inches anticipated. Motorists should plan for longer than normal travel times due to the combination of heavy holiday traffic and snow packed road conditions.
Colorado highway information is available at all times on the cotrip.org website or by calling 511.
