VAIL, Colo. (CBS4) – Safety concerns forced the Colorado Department of Transportation to close a section of Interstate 70 on Saturday afternoon. The closure was lifted hours later just after midnight.
#I70 eastbound: Roadway reopened to traffic at Exit 176 – Vail. https://t.co/vKlSpQvTfy
— Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT) (@ColoradoDOT) April 24, 2022
The closure started for eastbound drivers at the Vail exit, while it started at Copper Mountain for westbound drivers.
(credit: Colorado Department of Transportation)
Images from a CDOT camera at Vail Pass show drivers outside of their vehicles, standing on a snow-covered roadway, waiting for it to reopen. As of 6 p.m., the interstate was still closed.
There haven’t been any reports of injuries.
The closure illustrated the juxtaposition with the Front Range and the Denver metro area where wind and dry conditions have dominated for what feels like forever.
Lakewood’s fire ban is now in effect for the city’s parks and open space areas, which means no fires of any kind in these locations, no model rockets and essentially no smoking outside vehicles or buildings.
— City of Lakewood, Colorado (@LakewoodColo) April 23, 2022
While temperatures were much cooler than Friday, fire danger is still a concern prompting several municipalities and county sheriff’s offices to enact fire bans in the metro area.
Danielle Chavira
