There are no silver bullets. No car-sized teleporters, either — at least not yet. Sometimes, Interstate 70 through the Colorado mountains in the winter is just a painful, unending, unavoidable slog.
But several tricks can minimize the pain.
Strategizing is key, a point that’s been driven home this season as heavier-than-average snowfall has drawn hordes up the hill earlier than usual.
“There have been weekends already in December that have had delays where there were no delays in past years,” said Margaret Bowes, who, in her work as director of the I-70 Coalition, analyzes traffic data to prepare weekend travel forecasts.
The first thing to know: traffic patterns
Once ski and snowboarding season is in full swing — usually from mid-December through April — the patterns get pretty set: Expect some congestion heading out of Denver on Friday night, and then a round of heavier westbound traffic starting around dawn Saturday morning, with less on Sunday mornings.
The worst eastbound backups, meanwhile, tend to happen on Sundays, building from late morning through early evening, as both day-trippers and weekend travelers crowd I-70 on their way back to Denver. When holidays fall on a Monday, the traffic-choked return is pushed back to that day.
During the busiest periods, the roughly hourlong trip from the C-470 interchange to Silverthorne (or the reverse) often grows to 90 minutes, and sometimes well over 2 hours.
CDOT added a 13-mile eastbound express toll lane between U.S. 40 and Idaho Springs three years ago, easing the pain, but serious backups still are common upstream. In 2019, CDOT plans to begin construction on an express toll lane on I-70’s westbound side in the same area.
Enter weather — and traffic mayhem
Those traffic patterns are the norm, with a big caveat: A crash or intense snowstorm can wreak havoc and bring traffic to a standstill for hours — especially near the Eisenhower-Johnson Memorial Tunnels, which run beneath the Continental Divide, and other high points, including Vail Pass. Storms the weekend after Thanksgiving brought an early dose of traffic delays lasting hours.
“Realistically, through a season, it depends on snowfall … but I would say there are a good half-dozen significant storms where we expect to have major closures,” said Patrick Chavez, the I-70 corridor operations manager for the Colorado Department of Transportation.
Summer traffic counts are actually higher in the mountains, so it’s the weather factor that causes epic winter jams. In the worst cases, local authorities and the American Red Cross have set up shelters for stranded travelers, including in Frisco and Silverthorne on Nov. 24.
CDOT and the Colorado State Patrol have called road closures pre-emptively more often in the last five years, especially when snow has stuck to the road faster than CDOT plows can clear it. That’s part of a more concerted multi-agency coordination effort, including the creation of Chavez’s job, that came in the aftermath of a February 2013 storm that stranded motorists for more than six hours on the eastbound approach to the tunnel.
So, how do you avoid normal traffic?
Sometimes, avoiding the usual traffic is more art than science. But here are some tips for missing the worst weekend traffic. It’s culled from experience as well as advice from Chavez and Bowes, whose coalition includes local governments and businesses along the I-70 corridor.
Public transportation options
Options to avoid driving aren’t nearly as robust as public transportation advocates have called for, but CDOT’s Bustang coach bus system and airport shuttles offer service to mountain communities for tourists and residents.
The Bustang’s west line, charging $12 to $17 each way, offers early morning and late afternoon service between downtown Denver and the Frisco and Vail transportation centers. There, riders can catch free local buses to nearby ski resorts.
Amtrak’s revived Winter Park Express ski train also is back, running weekends Jan. 4 through March 31 from Union Station to the base of the Grand County resort. Priced at $29-$59 each way, depending on availability, it’s a pricey option — but it’s worth taking once or twice for the beautiful scenery (and enjoyable ride) far away from the mess on I-70.
Colorado hasn’t sprung for the Holy Grail of public transit options: a magnetic levitation, or maglev, train that could scale the I-70 corridor’s steep grades and provide fast, reliable service between Denver and several popular mountain towns, including Vail.
The biggest hurdle for that long-discussed plan, according to CDOT’s 2014 feasibility study, is its whopping cost — an estimated $13 billion to $16.5 billion.
About those traction laws
For now, the vast majority of winter weekend warriors are consigned to their cars and trucks. And each winter brings plenty of traffic problems attributable to drivers not following the state’s traction laws.
Besides requiring that semi truck drivers put chains on their tires at higher elevations, CDOT frequently activates a similar passenger vehicle law when slick weather comes into view. It generally requires cars, SUVs and trucks to have snow/winter tires, alternative traction devices or four-wheel drive, with at least an eighth of an inch of tread on the rubber.
State Police have been more frequently enforcing fines of up to $650 when vehicles in violation of the traction law block the road.
Earlier this month, the I-70 Coalition joined with the CoPIRG Foundation to launch the #BaldTiresSuck campaign, asking drivers to check their tires to make sure they meet traction standards.
“The quarter test is something every single I-70 user can do,” Bowes said, referring to the placing of an upside-down quarter in the tire’s tread. If the groove doesn’t obscure the top of President George Washington’s head, the tread is too shallow — and CDOT officials say the vehicle is much more prone to causing a crash that will turn I-70 into a parking lot.