CDOT Advises Drivers To Avoid I-70 Mountain Corridor
GEORGETOWN, Colo. (CBS4) - Avalanches slid onto two different sections of Interstate 70 on Tuesday in what has been a miserable day for drivers in the high country so far.
Officials with the Colorado Department of Transportation advised drivers to avoid the I-70 mountain corridor due to the dangerous driving conditions and highway closures.
In the first major avalanche, a 15-foot-deep slide at 2:40 a.m. covered a section of Vail Pass. A semi truck carrying mail got partially buried but luckily the driver wasn't hurt.
That led to a closure of I-70 over the pass for the majority of the morning. At noon, after extensive snow clearing by CDOT crews, a few cars heading westbound who were stuck waiting for hours were allowed to make their way over the pass.
The second avalanche happened late Tuesday morning on the highway west of the Eisenhower/Johnson Memorial Tunnel. CDOT crews who were performing avalanche mitigation brought down the slide, which was described as being 10 feet deep.
That also led to a closure of the interstate in both directions, and at noon there was no estimated time of reopening.
Crashes and poor driving conditions also forced a closure of I-70 further west near Fruita for a few hours.
Highway 40 over Berthoud Pass was also closed for avalanche mitigation work for part of the morning.
There is an Avalanche Warning for the northern and central mountains through Wednesday night.
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