A late-spring snowstorm that could drop up to 18 inches of snow in the Colorado Rockies, is playing havoc along mountain roads, causing numerous vehicle crashes and triggering a major closure of eastbound Interstate 70.
Eastbound I-70 closed for about two hours starting at 12:30 p.m. just east of the Eisenhower Tunnel because of numerous traffic crashes, according to the Colorado Department of Transportation.
Just 12 minutes later, at 12:42 p.m., CDOT closed westbound I-70 at the Grizzley Creek exit in Glenwood Canyon. The highway has since been reopened.
In the earlier crash east of the tunnel, one person was injured and taken to a local hospital, said Trooper Josh Lewis, a Colorado State Patrol spokesman.
Snow was falling at the time of the multi-vehicle crash and roads were slick, Lewis said.
“It appears to be weather related,” he said. One eastbound lane reopened at about 2:40 p.m. and a second lane reopened at about 3 p.m. The multi-vehicle crash remains under investigation.
Traction laws normally reserved for winter and early spring have been activated because of the strong storm expected to drop between a foot to 18 inches of snow in the mountains, according to CDOT and the National Weather Service in Boulder.
At 8:43 p.m. Monday, the Colorado Department of Transportation reported multiple crashes on I-70 near Copper Mountain shut down the eastbound lanes. There were no immediate reports on injuries. At 9:35 p.m., CDOT reported that the eastbound lanes reopened.
Check back for updates on this travel-related story.
