Travellers returning to Denver after the holiday weekend will have good weather, but don’t expect that to eliminate traffic delays as skiers return from the mountains.
On Interstate 70, “heavy eastbound traffic is expected this afternoon into the evening from Silverthorne to Denver. One hour delays or longer likely,” according to the Colorado Department of Transportation web site.
Air traffic filtering through Denver International Airport is expected to be heavy, with about 179,000 people passing through, compared to 145,000 on a normal day, according to Heath Montgomery, DIA spokesman.
Passengers should arrive at the airport two-and-a-half hours before their flight, rather than the two hours normally recommended for passengers, Montgomery said.
It is expected to be the airport’s second busiest day following a record 182,000 passengers on the Sunday following Christmas. Delays on that day were minimal.
But those coming through the airport late on the Saturday following Christmas, and into the morning hours, ran into lengthy security screening lines, when the Transportation Security Administration wasn’t prepared for the number of flights.
TSA spokesman Nico Melendez said at the time his agency was not prepared because the airlines had failed to communicate their needs.
Montgomery said he doesn’t expect similar problems on Sunday. “I’m expecting a relatively smooth day, hopefully,” Montgomery said.
The weather is expected to be mostly sunny throughout the state Sunday, with a high temperature of 47 degrees in Denver.
Temperatures in the high country will range from 26 to 36 degrees, said Jim Kalina, of the National Weather Service in Boulder.
Temperatures could be a little higher than that along the Front Range, he added. “It should be a really nice day for travel,” he said.
Tom McGhee: 303-954-1671, tmcghee@denverpost.com or @dpmcghee
