Drivers Set Record At Eisenhower-Johnson Memorial Tunnel
SUMMIT COUNTY, Colo. (CBS4)- It's no surprise that more people have been heading to the high country in Colorado as the state continues to attract more visitors and more people move here.
Now the Colorado Department of Transportation has the numbers to prove that the roads don't just seem busier, they actually are.
"Last ski season there was record-breaking numbers," said I-70 Coalition Director Margaret Bowes. "Summer occupancy numbers are up... it's the beginning of a trend."
A record number of travelers drove through the Eisenhower-Johnson Memorial Tunnel in July, totaling 1.3 million. That's a seven percent increase from July 2015, the equivalent to 87,000 more vehicles.
As more cars fill the roadway, it creates a challenge for traffic managers.
"We're much more dependent on federal dollars than many other states in the country. And federal dollars are never going to give us the money we need to increase capacity on I-70," said Bowes.
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