Gov. Jared Polis says he’s open to increasing fines for truckers who disregard chain laws on I-70 — but would need legislature’s help
Response comes as local officials take enforcement measures into their own hands
Colorado Department of Transportation/Courtesy photo
Editor’s note: This story has been updated to include comments from Sen. Dylan Roberts.
With frustrations bubbling in mountain towns over chronic closures on Interstate 70, Colorado’s governor said he could support harsher fines for motorists who disregard the state’s chain law.
Gov. Jared Polis told reporters on Thursday that he would be “very open to increasing the penalties” on vehicles traveling without chains or adequate tire traction on mountain roads but that the legislature would need to first send a bill to his desk.
State law requires chains for large commercial vehicles traveling on parts of I-70 and other major roadways between Sept. 1 and May 31. Other vehicles must have winter or all-weather tires, or tires with a certain tread depth, to comply.
There is no bill currently pending this legislative session to increase fines for violators, the current maximum of which is $1,150.
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“That would need to occur through a legal change here in the legislature, and we’d be happy to work with any legislators on how we can ensure better use of chains when appropriate in the High Country,” Polis said.
The mountain corridor has been repeatedly paralyzed by closures of up to nine hours this winter season, with some incidents caused by spun-out truckers without chains. The closures have disrupted worker commutes and blocked critical routes for first responders.
Local officials have tried taking matters into their own hands, with the town of Vail recently announcing an emergency ordinance to beef up enforcement at chain-up sites, tow vehicles at the violator’s expense, and levy the highest fines possible allowed by municipal court.
Vail Mayor Travis Coggin had previously called for the state to raise the maximum fine to $20,000.
The ordinance comes after the town sent a letter to Polis last month pleading for more action from the state, to which the town was “underwhelmed by the response we got,” according to Coggin.
Polis said the state “is very serious about enforcing our chain laws” and wants to work on how Colorado State Patrol can “contribute to better enforcement.”
Troopers have been increasing police presence on I-70 this season to crack down on violators, with multi-agency operations that have been ongoing since February. The measures are an addition to existing chain checks at ports of entry — like the Eisenhower-Johnson Memorial Tunnels — as well as active chain-up stations and daily roadside contacts.
However, despite the added layer of enforcement, which included double the number of agencies involved during a March 5 operation, the results have shown little change in the number of citations issued.
Last year, state troopers issued 976 citations for commercial vehicles that failed to comply with the chain law and 120 citations for violations that resulted in a road closure.
In the legislature, a bipartisan group of Western Slope lawmakers is pursuing a bill that would allow private companies to sell and install tire chains for motorists traveling along I-70 and other mountain roadways.
The bill creates a permit system for companies to operate at designated sites and is modeled after similar programs in California, Washington, and Oregon. The legislation represents an incentive, rather than a punitive-based approach, and does not contain any increase in fines for violators.
Sen. Dylan Roberts, D-Frisco, a bill sponsor, said the governor’s openness to increased penalties is “news to me” and thinks it’s a conversation that “needs to be had.”
Roberts said he is “encouraged that the governor is willing to engage with us on this conversation” and said he plans to reach out to Polis’s office and other state agencies “about either amendments into any existing bills this year or legislation for the future.”
“I think fines are an important part of enforcement,” Roberts said. “They’re not the only part, but they are a way to potentially make noncompliance less attractive for commercial drivers and their companies.”
“But this is a big conversation and I want to make sure that we get it right,” Roberts said, adding that it may take the interim period between this session and next to be “diligent about where we land.”
The legislative session ends May 7.
