Trucks wanting to haul hazardous materials through downtown Denver during the Democratic National Convention will have to make other arrangements.
Unless they have to make pickups or deliveries within city limits, Denver is off-limits on Saturday through Aug. 30, the Colorado State Patrol and Colorado Department of Public Safety said today in a news release.
The restrictions on hazardous materials — including trucks carrying gasoline — on Interstate 25 through Denver are among numerous safety measures being undertaken during the convention.
Trucks southbound on I-25 will be sent to westbound Interstate 76, westbound Interstate 70 and southbound C-470 around the city.
Northbound I-25 trucks will be diverted to northbound Interstate 225 to westbound I-70, and then to westbound Interstate 270.
About 10 percent of the truck traffic on I-25 through the affected area carries hazardous materials, said Sgt. John Hahn, a Colorado State Patrol spokesman.
The State Patrol also recommends these detours for motorists wanting to avoid possible delays.
And starting Friday evening, food and other deliveries into the Pepsi Center, the Colorado Convention Center and Invesco Field will be “swept” and sealed by the Secret Service before delivering their contents to the venues.
Ron Perea, special agent in charge of the Denver Secret Service office, would not offer details of the “methods and means” but did confirm that agents will conduct “explosive mitigation” on deliveries when they take control of the checking and monitoring of all vendors.
“We’ll be everywhere,” says Perea.
