Snow-packed and icy roads delayed holiday travelers across Colorado on Thursday.
Wet snow and freezing temperatures Wednesday night turned highways and interstates into skating rinks Thursday morning.
Most of the accidents were reported in the Denver area and Eastern Plains, according to the Colorado Department of Transportation.
Many major arteries experienced long delays because of jackknifed semis, including parts of southbound Interstate 25 and eastbound U.S. 36 near Federal Boulevard.
And it could have been worse.
Plows started removing snow and spreading de-icer Wednesday night. Chain laws were enforced for single-axle combination commercial vehicles on U.S. 6 over Loveland Pass and on eastbound Interstate 70 near the Eisenhower Tunnel.
But it wasn’t until Thursday afternoon that the roads moved into meltdown mode, CDOT spokesman Gene Towne said.
“The sun took over, and it sure helped us out a lot,” Towne said.
Crews at Denver International Airport worked through Wednesday night to clear runways and plow Peña Boulevard, said Erica Gingerich, DIA spokeswoman, keeping flight problems to a minimum.
A handful of United Airlines and American Airlines flights were canceled Thursday morning because of poor weather conditions in cities such as Minneapolis and Dallas-Fort Worth, according to representatives from the airlines.
United Airlines added eight flights out of Denver to accommodate passengers who missed connecting flights Wednesday night.
Frontier Airlines implemented its weather policy, which allows passengers traveling to various Midwest cities from Dec. 22 to 26 one itinerary change without charge, spokeswoman Lindsey Purves said. Passengers may call 800-432-1359 to make changes.
Jordan Steffen: 303-954-1638 or jsteffen@denverpost.com
