Heavy traffic is expected to slow travelers on Interstate 70 during the Labor Day weekend.
During the holiday weekend last year, 164,535 vehicles traveled through the Eisenhower Tunnel, according to the Colorado Department of Transportation.
Officials expect the heaviest traffic to be on I-70 from Denver to Summit County, as motorists travel to the high country for the weekend.
The heaviest westbound traffic is expected on Friday, Sept. 2 between 1 to 8 p.m., as motorists make their way to the mountains. Last year, 44,014 passed through Eisenhower Tunnel on Friday – 28,727 of them westbound.
The heaviest traffic for eastbound travelers is expected for Monday, Sept. 5 between 11 a.m. and 8 p.m. More than 28,000 vehicles traveled eastbound through Eisenhower Tunnel on Monday during the holiday weekend last year.
In an effort to minimize delays, all construction projects will be suspended during the holiday weekend.
While traffic is expected to increase on the I-70 mountain corridor, the overall number of people traveling in the mountain region is expected to decrease, said Wave Dreher, a spokeswoman for AAA.
The number of holiday drivers traveling in Colorado, Arizona, Idaho, Montana, New Mexico, Nevada, Utah and Wyoming is expected to decrease 2.6 percent, compared to the number of travelers last year.
An estimated 2.4 million people are expected to travel in the mountain region this weekend.
Dreher said the decrease was likely due to the fact that most people decided if they would travel four to six weeks ago – before gas prices started to drop.
The number of people flying is also expected to drop 1.6 percent, due to increasing air fares.
Hotel rates in the region are up about 6 percent, but car rental rates have decreased about 7 percent, compared to the holiday weekend last year, Dreher said.
Travelers can check on traffic conditions on CDOT’s website or by calling 511.
Jordan Steffen: 303-954-1794 or jsteffen@denverpost.com
