Colorado Road Crews Will Be 'Out In Force' When Thanksgiving Week Snowstorm Hits

DENVER (CBS4) - Transportation officials in Colorado are warning drivers of a projected winter storm that could impact holiday travel across the state. With more people expected to be on the roadways this week, the storm could cause some big problems. The Colorado Department of Transportation is working to get ahead of the storm, and will utilize all available resources throughout the week.

"Crews will start pre-treating the main highways tomorrow, so that way, we get ahead of when the snow is expected to hit the ground," CDOT's Presley Fowler told CBS4 on Sunday evening.

Fowler said forecasts show that at times, snow could be falling at a rate of an inch or two per hour.

"So when our plows are out there, you still have that much snow that is falling behind the plows," she explained. "Motorists need to expect that there can still be slick conditions no matter how much we are treating the roads out there."

CDOT said the biggest concern is the Tuesday morning commute. They are asking people to delay their morning drive, if possible. For Thanksgiving travelers, they ask drivers to delay any holiday travel to Wednesday.

"We'll be out there in full force, making sure the roads are as safe as they possibly can be," Fowler said. "But if you can avoid driving during the actual snowfall, that's probably the best thing to do."

AAA Colorado is also preparing for the storm. It estimates that tens of thousands of people will drive to their Thanksgiving destination over the course of the storm.

"There's a pretty good chance it's going to be pretty disruptive to a lot of people," explained Skyler McKinley, with AAA Colorado.

McKinley told CBS4 he expects they'll receive around 5,000 to 6,000 calls for roadside assistance across the state.

For those flying to their holiday destination, Denver International Airport suggests passengers check with their airline before their flight. Many airlines are anticipating weather delays or cancellations late Monday or on Tuesday, and are offering travel vouchers for passengers to rebook their flights.