CDOT Opens Emergency Route To Estes Park, Fully Reopens I-25
BOULDER, Colo. (CBS4) - Officials with the Department of Transportation on Saturday announced that they have opened an emergency road route to Estes Park, which was cut off on Friday when Rocky Mountain National Park officials closed the park and Trail Ridge Road closed.
Officials said for now due to road instability from the flooding they are only allowing "emergency personnel, residents of Estes Park, delivery vehicles and other essential visitors" through a route which goes from the Peak to Peak Highway (Highway 119) in Nederland through Allenspark and on to Estes Park.
CDOT officials said they are working "around the clock" to check damage to roads and bridges on Colorado's Front Range.
"CDOT continues to encourage motorists to exercise extra caution when traveling across the Front Range, as some highways may appear structurally sound but could have been damaged by water, rocks, or debris. In addition to driving carefully, motorists should not pull over to view flood damage, as it creates a safety hazard on the highways," they wrote in a news release.
Just after noon on Saturday CDOT also fully reopened Interstate 25 in Northern Colorado that was closed on Friday from Fort Collins all the way to the Wyoming border.
The following is a list of highway updates as of 9 a.m. Saturday:
Recent Highway Openings
- SH 392 from I-25 (Larimer County Road 5) east to 17th Street in Windsor
- US 85 from 42nd in Evans (MP 264.5) to County Road 44 in LaSalle (MP 258.5)
- I-25 between Wyoming and Denver
- I-25 northbound and southbound ramps to State Highway 119 (travel is available only to the east)
- U.S. 287 in Fort Collins from MP 347 to MP 348
New Updates/Closures
- US 40 at Floyd Hill (MP 269.5 to 270.5)
- SH 144 between US 34 and CR 13
- SH 39 between Goodrich and I-76
- US 34 between Greeley and Wiggins
Ongoing Closures in Northern Colorado
- U.S. 34 between Glade Road and Estes Park
- U.S. 34 eastbound from Granby to Estes Park - essential travelers only (checkpoints in place)
- U.S. 34 from 37th Street to County Road 49 in Greeley
- U.S. 36 between Boulder and Estes Park
- U.S. 287 at Big Thompson River in Loveland from SH 402 to 5th Street
- U.S. 287 from MP 307 (Isabella) to MP 310 (SH 52)
- SH 7 between Lyons and Estes Park
- SH 14 between Ted's Place and Walden
- SH 60 at CR 46
- SH 66 between 53rd Street (Longmont) and Lyons
- SH 66 between CR 13 and CR 19
- SH 119 between Boulder and Nederland (Boulder Canyon)
- SH 119 between County Line Road and I-25
- SH 170 from SH 93 to El Dorado Canyon State Park
- SH 257 between SH 60/Milliken to US 34
Ongoing Closures in the Denver Metro Area
- I-70 eastbound off-ramp to Quebec Street
- SH 72 (Indiana Street) between 72nd and 80th avenues
- SH 72 between SH 93 and SH 119 (Coal Creek Canyon)
- SH 83 (Parker Road) between Florida and Jewell avenues
Colorado Floods: How To Help
The recent floods are impacting families and communities throughout Colorado, so CBS4 has compiled a list of ways you can support the local communities impacted by the floods.
