抖阴ap

Patrol cars were lined up on the side of the highway near Silverthorne, ready for the beginning of an experiment that officials say could be a solution to the congestion that plagues the Interstate 70 corridor — a solution some Colorado commuters say is a road to more problems.

On Saturday, the Colorado Department of Transportation and the Colorado State Patrol began the first phase of an experiment with “rolling speed harmonization,” an effort to reduce the number of snarls that leave weekend commuters sitting in traffic on the east end of the Eisenhower Tunnel.

Troopers and officers from the Silverthorne Police Department entered the center lane of eastbound I-70 near Silverthorne. With lights flashing, the patrol cars reduced speeds to 55 to 45 mph, said Bob Wilson, a spokesman for CDOT.

The patrol cars led traffic on the 8.6-mile stretch from Silverthorne to the entrance of the tunnel. When the flow of traffic inside the tunnel reached 18 to 19 cars per minute — about 1,100 cars per hour — another car was deployed, Wilson said. Patrol cars merged onto the interstate about every 10 minutes.

If the months-long experiment is successful, it might be possible to stop metering traffic at the tunnel.

Officials chose to start the experiment in August, when the highest number of vehicles pass through the tunnel on the weekends, Wilson said.

In addition to traffic counts, pacing is designed to accommodate weather conditions. During the winter months, when ski traffic is predicted to be heavy and inclement weather is expected, pacing can be used to make roadways safer.

“In the winter it’s one way to eliminate the SUV who thinks they can go 75 mph in hazardous weather,” said Trooper Markus Winter, one of the officers controlling traffic.

Pacing traffic works well when directing vehicles after an accident, and can be successful in easing congestion and reducing accidents, he said.

But Laura Saint, who drives from Summit County to Silver Plume for work, said she thinks slowing down traffic will only cause bigger problems.

“It’s just going to bottleneck everyone,” Saint said.

Breckenridge resident Dee Ann Herwig has reservations about the time of day the pacing could occur, and thinks it should be used in both east- and westbound traffic. But the technique does hold some potential, she said.

“They have to do something; anything is better than what we have now,” Herwig said.

Both women said officials should focus on traffic on the west side of the tunnel.

A second experiment could be performed in September, when traffic will be controlled as far east as Empire, Wilson said. Speeds and traffic counts from Saturday will be examined, and preliminary results could be released as early as Monday.

If pacing is implemented this winter, it could be used on holiday weekends including Martin Luther King Jr. Day, Presidents Day and during spring break, and go as far east as Floyd Hill.

Jordan Steffen: 303-954-1794 or jsteffen@denverpost.com