Traffic on westbound Interstate 70 is backed up at least seven miles from Floyd Hill with drivers being advised to take alternate routes if possible.
Bob Wilson, spokesman for the Colorado Department of Transportation, said that a metal plate which weighs trucks popped up in the right lane of westbound I-70 this morning near Dumont.
The displaced plate caused tires on a number of cars to be cut and punctured, said Wilson.
The lane was immediately closed and repairs are being implemented. But the result is extensive backups and traffic delays on westbound I-70. As of lunch time, traffic is backed up to the east end of Idaho Springs.
Wilson said that the plate is part of an electronic sensing device that allows truckers to know if their loads are overweight when they drive over it.
If they are, they have to pull over to the Port of Entry near Dumont.
In addition to the problems near Dumont, Wilson said that rockfall mitigation operations continue at Georgetown Hill reducing westbound traffic to a single lane.
He said local residents in the area should use other alternate routes if possible.
As far as other travelers, such as those going to Breckenridge, he suggests they use U.S. 285.
The delays are expected into at least mid-afternoon.
Howard Pankratz: 303-954-1939 or hpankratz@denverpost.com
