‘Felt like 3 Sundays in a row’: Traffic on I-70 was busy this past weekend but it did not break records, according to CDOT
When records were shattered in 2020, more than 55,000 vehicles passed through I-70's Eisenhower-Johnson Memorial Tunnels in a 24-hour period, according to the Colorado Department of Transportation
Colorado Department of Transportation/Courtesy photo
The Colorado Department of Transportation says that the Interstate 70 mountain corridor experienced a busy — but not record-breaking — New Year’s weekend travel.
CDOT said in a news release ahead of the post-holiday weekend that lingering holiday travel could lead to record-breaking traffic on I-70. But CDOT I-70 corridor communications manager Austyn Dineen said Tuesday, Jan. 7, that the this year did not break the record for daily traffic flows over the New Year’s weekend, which was set during the 2019-20 season.
“Traffic on the I-70 mountain corridor over the post-New Year’s weekend felt like three Sundays in a row,” Dineen said in an email. “While we didn’t set new year-over-year records, each day was busy, with travel times between Denver and Summit County reaching 2.5 hours in both directions.”
This year’s holiday coincided with multiple snowstorms that brought double-digit snow totals to multiple ski resorts across Colorado’s High Country. The storms did disrupt travel across the Interstate 70 corridor, with multiple closures of Interstate 70 near the Eisenhower-Johnson Memorial Tunnels and Vail Pass through the holiday season. One closure of Interstate 70, on New Year’s Eve, resulted in a detour that funneled traffic south via Colorado Highway 9 and over Hoosier Pass so westbound travelers could take U.S. Highway 285 to Denver.
Some ski areas, like Breckenridge Ski Resort, saw up to 44 inches of snow fall in the past two weeks.
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The transportation department keeps a historical log of traffic data, especially along the I-70 corridor, to help predict the amount of traffic anticipated on any given weekend throughout the winter season.
On Jan. 3, 2020, 55,224 vehicles passed through the Eisenhower-Johnson Memorial Tunnels in a 24-hour period over the post-New Year’s weekend, setting a record for the holiday weekend and clocking in at the fifth highest 24-hour traffic count ever recorded, according to CDOT.
This year 51,919 vehicles passed through the tunnels on Friday, Jan 3, nearing but not reaching that record, Dineen said. From Friday to Sunday this year, about 135,000 vehicles passed through the tunnels, compared to about 154,500 in 2020, she said.
CDOT officials this year observed increased volume outside of normal peak hours, which Dineen said was likely due to travelers heeding warnings about potential delays ahead of the weekend.
Those who choose to travel at peak times will often experience delays on I-70, Dineen said. Travelers can use CoTrip.org and GoI70.com to check roadway conditions and peak travel times to avoid delays, she said.
This story is from SummitDaily.com.
