While acknowledging that it’s coming during one of the busiest travel periods of the year, Colorado Department of Transportation officials say they feel comfortable with the decision to close Interstate 70 in both directions at Idaho Springs beginning Thursday night.
“It’s a chance to take advantage of a window of opportunity with equipment and weather,” said CDOT spokeswoman Emily Wilfong. “The detour will be very easy for motorists; they’ll barely be taken off the highway and will scoot right around the work.”
The closure will be at Exit 240 as crews do initial girder settings for a new bridge going over the highway. Crews will begin to work at about 8 p.m. with the full closure occurring an hour later. The work is expected to be completed by 6 a.m. on Jan. 5.
Drivers will use the off- and on-ramps at the exit to move around the closure. Wilfong said supervisors will monitor the work using cameras to make adjustments as needed.
“Let’s say it’s 7:45 and we’re headed towards that 9 p.m. closure, but we see that traffic is still very heavy and that starting at that time wouldn’t be a good idea,” she said. “We’ll be able to see that and push it back 30 minutes or so if it means getting those drivers through.”
Giving an example of CDOT’s thinking regarding the timing of the project, Wilfong said that on Dec. 26 a total of 35,000 vehicles moved through the Eisenhower Tunnel, with a peak volume of 3,372 at 3 p.m. At 9 p.m., she said, that number had fallen to 1,100 and by 11 p.m it was down to 563.
“There will still be some impact, but it’s nominal compared to the busiest periods,” Wilfong said.
The announcement of the detour came along with CDOT’s annual warning regarding heavy end-of-holiday traffic to and from the mountains.
“Historic data indicates heavy traffic eastbound from the mountains begins on New Years Day as people who have spent the week in the mountains begin to head back,” the department said. “In the past, traffic volumes tend to grow as early as 9 a.m. and last the majority of the day. Traffic volumes have normally tapered off after 7 p.m.
“Friday and Saturday are likely to be heavy volume days with return traffic picking up around 11 a.m. through 6 p.m. CDOT is expecting Sunday to be the heaviest travel day. Last year, traffic delays of over an hour were normal between 9 a.m. and 8 p.m.”
CDOT is encouraging drivers to return to the metro area outside of those heavily congested times.
Anthony Cotton: 303-954-1292, acotton@denverpost.com or
