It's got to be better than I80 over Donner.
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I 70 sucks
I heard that CDOT was about 30% short on employees this season which is inevitably causing some issues with keeping up with the snow.
That can be a pretty dicey route. WYO 230 candy have a lot of blowing snow until you get to Woods Landing, and the road through North Park doesn’t have a lot of traffic, drifts a lot, and is pretty windy. It would be closer to Steamboat...
Was headed to Copper this am, but bailed when I saw the traffic on I-70 and went to WPMJ instead.
On way home from WPMJ, WB I-70 was a cluster f*ck, and that was at 2:15.
Well I was bummed that I had to stay home with my sick kid today, but after reading all this "fun" about I-70 this morning, I'm kinda thinking my son saved me from a ton of aggravation.
I worked till 1 and then 5 minutes on i70 for 2.75 hours of skiing at Copper. What is this I70 problem?
Actually not ! I-80 is nothing compared to the shitshow near Idaho Springs on I-70. I-80 problem is
they've closed it too much lately when it should be open. This Christmas eve on I-70 I was caught in a total
I-70 closure with smashed up cars in all lanes. 1 fatality, 1 or 2 bad injuries. Rest of the holiday was a little better.
Too much traffic. the pay lane is only 1/2 lane wide in places and is not used much. should be open to all.
Dear CDOT,
Thank you for (eventually) opening Loveland Pass yesterday.
While folks trying to ski yesterday were screwed because it opened so late, traffic was much better by the time we drove up in the afternoon after Loveland Pass opened.
Can you please try to keep Loveland Pass open the rest of the holiday weekend through the storm? The tens of thousands of cars passing through the tunnel this weekend would rather not sit in a couple extra hours of traffic because of metering for hazmat vehicles that would otherwise go over Loveland Pass.
You have the tools to keep Loveland Pass open as you do with Berthoud Pass. Please use them. Thanks!
Hugs and Kisses,
T-ball
Thank you for (eventually) opening Loveland Pass yesterday.
While folks trying to ski yesterday were screwed because it opened so late, traffic was much better by the time we drove up in the afternoon after Loveland Pass opened.
Can you please try to keep Loveland Pass open the rest of the holiday weekend through the storm? The tens of thousands of cars passing through the tunnel this weekend would rather not sit in a couple extra hours of traffic because of metering for hazmat vehicles that would otherwise go over Loveland Pass.
You have the tools to keep Loveland Pass open as you do with Berthoud Pass. Please use them. Thanks!
Hugs and Kisses,
T-ball
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The trip to cottage country here is similar. I hate going up home in the summer. I take Friday or Monday off and shift my drive. Most people do now I think. Thursday is the new Friday...
You seem to think CDOT has unlimited resources to do these things. Mitigation requires teams of people, even with Gasex exploders, and the teams aren't interchangeable with all CDOT staff. Their foremost priority is to keep people safe and roads open. Sometimes that means doing mitigation when it ain't convenient for skiers. If you want to learn more, I recommend listening to this recent podcast featuring the head of avalanche mitigation for CDOT. https://soundcloud.com/user-23585762/the-avalanche-hour-podcast-episode-310-jamie-yount
That Christmas Eve crash was not near Idaho Springs; it was ~15 miles east of there, near Genesee, and happened when an impaired driver crossed the median and hit a car headed in the opposite direction. Two fatalities if I remember correctly. That was a driver error/judgment issue, and had nothing to do with the shortcomings of CDOT or I-70 (other than, perhaps, the lack of guardrails on the median).
@doc you're right on that one. 15 mi downhill from IS at Genesee Park exit. I was stuck in that one!
Helo's flying around and more emergency vehicles than I've ever seen in one spot.
However the rest of the holiday had crazy heavy traffic on way home from skiing.
Kind of like the Belt Parkway in NYC during rush hour.
Helo's flying around and more emergency vehicles than I've ever seen in one spot.
However the rest of the holiday had crazy heavy traffic on way home from skiing.
Kind of like the Belt Parkway in NYC during rush hour.
That explains the "We are Hiring" cdot signs I have seen and there is one in the tunnel entrance that says "This could be your office"
My mom lives at the GP exit and as I was pulling out of her driveway that night I saw one of the helicopters and thought it was strange but couldn’t see I70 from that vantage. When I got down the hill I saw the backup exiting the highway. I sure was grateful that I had the right of way over exiting traffic, otherwise I would have headed back to mom’s house. Such a sad situation. Hope the little girl is recovering physically.
Friday Denver to Silverthorne I-70 chart:
I don't live in Colorado nor am familiar with it. The below link shows a chart of the I-70 traffic from Denver to Silverthorne as not being as bad on average as it seems people are making it out to be. Of course what drivers tend to recall is after accidents occur. In like manner, on I-80 across the Sierra Nevada drivers tend to recall nightmare drives during snow storms with chain controls.
https://www.westword.com/news/east-...rips-dps-over-denver-teachers-strike-11228435
From the chart the obvious strategy would seem to point to finding ways to drive that stretch at off peak hours. While I was a working person, to reach Tahoe that sometimes meant driving home on Fridays after my m-f 8-5 job, enjoying a nice dinner, and then getting on the road post commute hours after 7pm arriving wherever late evening versus starting say at 5pm in stop and go commuter traffic an extra 1 to 2 hours of nauseation. Thus someone starting at 5pm might reach South Lake Tahoe at 10pm to 11pm while leaving at 7pm might arrive at 11pm to 12 midnight.
On a winter Saturday morning, starting an I-70 drive at 5:30am looks quick and of course there is less likelihood of accidents during off peak hours. I live 4 to 5 hours from Tahoe resorts in the SF Bay Area so to avoid traffic on same day trips, tend to drive up at dawn if need be, especially on fresh powder days. A reality is, very few people at any time of year are willing to wake up before the sun rises and get on highways early. For fresh powder days, the evening before I may pack up gear putting most into my Forester, retire early setting an alarm clock to say 5am, and be on the road within 15 to 20 minutes. A major incentive at any resort on fresh days is those who get on lift systems first up to higher slope areas are ahead of bottlenecks both for lift lines, tickets kiosks, parking lots, and highways, thus are most likely to get several runs in before masses arrive.
During our summers traffic all days of the week though especially on weekends into Yosemite National Park by late mornings often encounters 2 to 3 mile backups at the State Route 120 park entrance that can take a couple hours or more to get through. On the other hand driving through at 7am to 8am is a breeze. Despite such, the vast majority of vacationers in nearby regional lodging and people that live down in Central Valley areas for day visits invariably visit the park the way they do most everything, only getting on roads mid to late mornings after usual sluggish morning rituals.
I don't live in Colorado nor am familiar with it. The below link shows a chart of the I-70 traffic from Denver to Silverthorne as not being as bad on average as it seems people are making it out to be. Of course what drivers tend to recall is after accidents occur. In like manner, on I-80 across the Sierra Nevada drivers tend to recall nightmare drives during snow storms with chain controls.
https://www.westword.com/news/east-...rips-dps-over-denver-teachers-strike-11228435
From the chart the obvious strategy would seem to point to finding ways to drive that stretch at off peak hours. While I was a working person, to reach Tahoe that sometimes meant driving home on Fridays after my m-f 8-5 job, enjoying a nice dinner, and then getting on the road post commute hours after 7pm arriving wherever late evening versus starting say at 5pm in stop and go commuter traffic an extra 1 to 2 hours of nauseation. Thus someone starting at 5pm might reach South Lake Tahoe at 10pm to 11pm while leaving at 7pm might arrive at 11pm to 12 midnight.
On a winter Saturday morning, starting an I-70 drive at 5:30am looks quick and of course there is less likelihood of accidents during off peak hours. I live 4 to 5 hours from Tahoe resorts in the SF Bay Area so to avoid traffic on same day trips, tend to drive up at dawn if need be, especially on fresh powder days. A reality is, very few people at any time of year are willing to wake up before the sun rises and get on highways early. For fresh powder days, the evening before I may pack up gear putting most into my Forester, retire early setting an alarm clock to say 5am, and be on the road within 15 to 20 minutes. A major incentive at any resort on fresh days is those who get on lift systems first up to higher slope areas are ahead of bottlenecks both for lift lines, tickets kiosks, parking lots, and highways, thus are most likely to get several runs in before masses arrive.
During our summers traffic all days of the week though especially on weekends into Yosemite National Park by late mornings often encounters 2 to 3 mile backups at the State Route 120 park entrance that can take a couple hours or more to get through. On the other hand driving through at 7am to 8am is a breeze. Despite such, the vast majority of vacationers in nearby regional lodging and people that live down in Central Valley areas for day visits invariably visit the park the way they do most everything, only getting on roads mid to late mornings after usual sluggish morning rituals.
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i70 must have been a nightmare this morning, glad I slept in.
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