Interstate 70 was closed in both directions in Eagle County for more than 10 hours Monday after a loaded tanker truck rolled over between Gypsum and Dotsero on Monday morning, spilling more than 2,000 gallons of fuel.
The interstate reopened about 4:40 p.m., the Colorado Department of Transportation says. Earlier in the day traffic was detoured onto U.S. 6, which runs parallel to I-70 in Eagle County. Alternate routes — like U.S. 50 and U.S. 40 — were not recommended because winter weather is making travel in those corridors unsafe.
EB I-70 has reopened b/t Gypsum & Dotsero;All lanes open
— Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT) (@ColoradoDOT)
Photos from crews on scene.
— Greater Eagle Fire (@gefpd)
Officials say hazardous materials teams responded to the 6 a.m. crash. There were no reported injuries. “It appears the tanker clipped the back of a box truck that was carrying empty beer cans,” said Tracy Trulove, a CDOT spokeswoman.
Major I-70 closure b/c crash involving a tanker truck EB closed @ Dotsero,mm 133,WB closed @ Gypsum,mm 140,possible reopen mid-afternoon
— Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT) (@ColoradoDOT)
CDOT is warning that mountain travel elsewhere in Colorado is treacherous — especially along the I-70 corridor — as more winter weather bears down. That comes after a long Sunday afternoon and night on the interstate for motorists heading back to the Front Range after a weekend of skiing.
The interstate was closed in several areas because of crashes on Sunday night and then again on Monday morning. Freezing rain in and around Grand Junction were leaving roadways extremely slick.
“We’ve got just icy conditions everywhere,” Trulove said. “We have secondary crashes happening all across northwest Colorado. It’s just not a good day to be out there.”
Accident Alert 4 CSP, Freezing rain has made the county roads a sheet of ice! Stay off any roads if you can.
— CSP Fruita (@CSP_Fruita)
A winter storm warning is in effect for much of the high country and Western Slope through Tuesday morning — including places like Steamboat Springs, Aspen, Vail, Breckenridge, Rocky Mountain National Park and Crested Butte — where up to 3 feet of snow is expected at higher elevations before the system moves out.
“Heavy snow and blowing snow will result in hazardous winter driving conditions due to slick and snow packed roads with significantly reduced visibility,” the National Weather Service said in a warning.
