I 70 sucks

[Ken_R]

Just noticed that link made in post #59 was incorrect on the I-70 report of:

Avoiding I-70 Weekend Traffic: Best and Worst Times to Drive Into the Mountains

Some news web pages now annoyingly are switching to other stories if one stays on a given news sub-page too long. In any case if the report is correct, the real issue is too many people choosing to drive at the same time. Leaving from Denver before 5:30am or returning after 7pm avoids traffic except probably on holiday weekends. At 65 miles between Denver and Silverthorne, that pales against distance and times SF Bay Area skiers take to reach Tahoe. Thus leaving at 7pm one reaches there in 90 minutes or 8:30pm. Minus accidents, should not not be a big deal? Or explain? Likewise on the return same thing, leave after 7pm instead of when lifts close. Go have a dinner.

https://www.westword.com/news/the-best-and-worst-times-to-drive-into-the-mountains-on-i-70-from-denver-8920824

Honestly, most of the time it really is no big deal.

 

[coskigirl]

Copper was pretty chill surprisingly.

It's not so much the mountain as it is the traffic. Besides, I'm taking a day off work to ski this week which will maximize my ski time:car time ratio. My next off weekend I'm staying in Eagle-Vail with friends so I'll get more time then.

 

[Wolfski]

Good God, that’s ridiculous. Glad I bought a place in Snowmass. We really need to do something about transportation infrastructure in Colorado.

Yeah, this was from our Son who thought he left early enough. Well he did as he was on the 5th chair so he felt it was worth it, but throw in 8-12 inches of snow during the end of the week and the corridor gets crazy with all the Pow chasers, add some snow during the drive and its nuts. We choose to make the drive during the week which makes it a normal drive, snow or not.

The issue of trucks, RV's and bad cars with suspect tires certainly adds to the issue and always has. White knuckle rental car drivers and out of State drivers certainly cause issues as well but I would certainly not give all local drivers a pass because lets face it, most of the cars in the corridor during the rush are front range locals.

Our first drive to Vail in 69 was on US 6 over Loveland Pass and took eight hours from Stapleton Airport during a storm in which a tanker slid off the road. This was before the Eisenhower tunnel opened. While attending DU in the mid seventies we would drive to Vail for half day afternoon skiing and it never took over two hours to get there as the Eisenhower bore just opened. Now the return trip coming back took some time but never over three hours and this is without the Johnson bore that opened later in the 70's.

The horror stories of drive times returning Sunday afternoons I've heard are crazy, but after driving to Breckenridge Superbowl Sunday afternoon and seeing the East bound river of vehicles, me thinks that they're true and the sad part is its going to get worse.

 

[mdf]

Part of the reason that infrastructure projects keep getting more expensive is rising standards. Each improvement is a small price increase -- and who doesn't want to save lives -- but they add up.

They recently redid the ramps on the interstate near me. Energy absorbing crash ends on the barriers, rumble strip in the shoulder, recessed reflectors, more signs. New roads are wider with wider medians (except where mountains prevent).

 

[RumbaRockette]

I've only lived in CO less than a year, but this winter I understand the groans that most CO locals have for I-70. Traffic certainly is a pain.

If I leave my house by 6:45-7:00 a.m. I generally have no problems with I-70. Coming back is another story unless I stop to eat somewhere...

 

[Ogg]

If the purpose of this thread is to discourage people from skiing in CO, in my case, it's working. It seems to me the I70 issues make any issues with the roads to LCC and BCC(UT) seem trivial.

 

[RumbaRockette]

If the purpose of this thread is to discourage people from skiing in CO, in my case, it's working. It seems to me the I70 issues make any issues with the roads to LCC and BCC(UT) seem trivial.

Some sort of ski train would actually be the BEST solution. The biggest problem with I-70 is actually the weather. In the summer there is actually more traffic (per CDOT's statistics), so really the largest factor is the weather & the time at which everyone leaves. Those who can spend the night at a condo or lodging are generally less affected. Give people a reliable means of transport with frequency of travel times that will drop you off walking distance to the lifts? It would be extremely popular. It would also allow you to relax & stretch out after a long day of skiing.

The train from Union Station in Denver to Winter Park (which drops you off at the lift), is already sold out most weekends.

I know there is Bustang & Greyhound as well, but they are still much dependent on the traffic conditions related to weather and subject to being late than a train would. An increased frequency in their availability would be a great short term solution though.

 

[amlemus]

The I-70 traffic can get really bad. Coming from Littleton, I pretty much need to be sure that I've got my coffee ready to go when I wake up at 5am and be past the Dino Lots by 6am to miss any major traffic. Anything after that just becomes a slog.

The carrot at the end of that stick is an amazing breakfast at Sunshine Café in Silverthorne by 7am with plenty of time to spare to get to the lots at ABasin/Key/Breck by opening time.

At least 3 times on the lifts/day I get into convos about I70 traffic and leaving early, and I always say the same thing: "I'd rather wait an hour at my destination than spend an hour in traffic."

 

[tball]

Good news: it seems there was no traffic driving back to Denver yesterday (President's Day). I was watching all day, and all I saw was a 10-minute slowdown. My wife drove down early, and I drove down late with clear sailing.

Bad news: nobody was skiing yesterday. I think folks are so afraid of the traffic they are skipping skiing altogether. It was the same on Monday of MLK weekend and increasingly many Sundays. People don't ski or leave very early to avoid traffic. Yesterday afternoon at Copper was so deserted it felt like a normal weekday. Great for us skiing, but can't be good for business in the high country.

Edit: I guess it's also bad that we took two vehicles, primarily so we could split into those willing to risk sitting in traffic to ski more and those not.

 

[Ken_R]

i70 was incredibly mellow yesterday, I was surprised, both heading west at 6am and heading east at 5pm.

 

[Noodler]

Good news: it seems there was no traffic driving back to Denver yesterday (President's Day). I was watching all day, and all I saw was a 10-minute slowdown. My wife drove down early, and I drove down late with clear sailing.

Bad news: nobody was skiing yesterday. I think folks are so afraid of the traffic they are skipping skiing altogether. It was the same on Monday of MLK weekend and increasingly many Sundays. People don't ski or leave very early to avoid traffic. Yesterday afternoon at Copper was so deserted it felt like a normal weekday. Great for us skiing, but can't be good for business in the high country.

Edit: I guess it's also bad that we took two vehicles, primarily so we could split into those willing to risk sitting in traffic to ski more and those not.

Well this is news. You're saying that so many people have "caught on" to leaving early, that were now better off skiing longer and waiting for the traffic to subside. I have to admit, I have been suspicious of this. After being out for 4 seasons, I've noticed a definite change in the traffic patterns; with traffic building much earlier than it did 4-5 years ago. I used to be able to get off the mountain between 1-2 p.m. and sail home (even on the weekends). Not happening anymore.

 

[tball]

Well this is news. You're saying that so many people have "caught on" to leaving early, that were now better off skiing longer and waiting for the traffic to subside

I believe so, at least if you can wait into the evening to head to Denver, say 6 or 7 pm. That's my plan pretty much every Sunday through March.

Traffic gets worse through March and as it stays light longer I think folks shift the drive later too, so we'll see how it goes this year.

Otherwise, you have to leave super early to miss traffic and can't ski much. I've hit slowdowns at the tunnel as early as 11 am heading home on Sunday.

 

[Lake n Ski]

I-70 issue is so sad because it will only continue to get worse...and worse...and worse....as the Denver metro/front range population continues to boom.

 

[Ross Biff]

The I-70 traffic can get really bad. Coming from Littleton, I pretty much need to be sure that I've got my coffee ready to go when I wake up at 5am and be past the Dino Lots by 6am to miss any major traffic. Anything after that just becomes a slog.

The carrot at the end of that stick is an amazing breakfast at Sunshine Café in Silverthorne by 7am with plenty of time to spare to get to the lots at ABasin/Key/Breck by opening time.

At least 3 times on the lifts/day I get into convos about I70 traffic and leaving early, and I always say the same thing: "I'd rather wait an hour at my destination than spend an hour in traffic."

I'm not in CO but have the same plan.Used to be I could leave home at 7.30 for a 30 minute drive and be in the first 3 rows in the car park. These days I'd be 20 rows back at the same time of day so I leave earlier and have breakfast on the mountain in a nearly empty cafeteria. Much nicer sitting down to a bacon and egg roll than sitting in the car in a line up to park!

 

[Mike King]

https://coloradosun.com/2019/02/23/colorado-i70-traffic-solutions-construction/

 

[BGreen]

Tossing in some more data, yesterday (Sunday, not a holiday weekend) left Keystone at 3:30, opted for Loveland Pass. Traffic stopped at the CDOT depot past Arapahoe. Arrived Denver at 7:15.

 

[RachelV]

Tossing in some more data, yesterday (Sunday, not a holiday weekend) left Keystone at 3:30, opted for Loveland Pass. Traffic stopped at the CDOT depot past Arapahoe. Arrived Denver at 7:15.

Ugh. Where is that CDOT depot exactly?

I left A-basin at 12:45 and was in Boulder by 2:15. Guess I should thank DH for asking me to come home early to meet his college friend, after all.

 

[skix]

Speaking of more data ..

Wednesday night Feb 20th around 10 pm I sailed up I-70 in at most moderate traffic. However, on continuing up Thursday morning Feb 21 at 4 am (or so) I found I-70 closed at the westbound tunnel with all traffic routed over Loveland Pass onto US 6. Even though the road was partially snow-covered the traffic flowed over the pass pretty well. On the other side though about a couple miles worth of vehicles backed up above Keystone behind a tanker. Yes, I found a traffic jam at 4 freaking A.M. in the morning.

I'm sure they had a good reason but I have no idea why they closed the tunnel. It was probably even announced ahead of time but I hadn't planned to be there that time of night. I was sleeping in my car at the Bakerville exit and woke up freezing even though I was in a good bag and with decent clothes. Saw it was minus 5 according to the car so I had the bright idea that maybe it would be warmer in Dillon. Only netted me 1 degree though since it was still minus 4 at the scenic overlook above Lake Dillon.

 

[Noodler]

Tossing in some more data, yesterday (Sunday, not a holiday weekend) left Keystone at 3:30, opted for Loveland Pass. Traffic stopped at the CDOT depot past Arapahoe. Arrived Denver at 7:15.

Left LL at 11:30 a.m. and arrived home by 1:00 p.m. (only about a 15 minute delay).

 

[hespeler]

If the purpose of this thread is to discourage people from skiing in CO, in my case, it's working. It seems to me the I70 issues make any issues with the roads to LCC and BCC(UT) seem trivial.

Can't be any worse than what you put up with coming from Long Island. Not sure if you do day trips from the Island but if you do go during the week, you need to be out of the house by 530 am the latest to beat at least some of the NYC rush hour traffic and that gets you on the snow around 10:00 am, depending on how many bathroom breaks you need.

I guess if you go on a Sat or Sun it's not as bad but then you deal with the wknds crowds at Hunter, etc. Pick your poison.

The difference is that few hours spent in the car gets you a much, much better ski experience than skiing...Hunter.

Still in all it does sounds crappy for the I-70 wknd warriors.