It’s a white-knuckle commute in the Denver metro area Friday morning with all types of winter road hazards in the aftermath of a strong winter snowstorm.
Before daylight, Interstate 25 was packed with commuters, some driving half-way in lanes that are snow covered and tough to make out.
Vehicles are going anywhere from 30 mph to about 60 mph. Some drivers were weaving in traffic to get around slow-moving cars and spraying windshields of other commuters with snow clods.
Plows are out in packs, working their way slowly down the highway in long diagonal lines.
Denver’s highways are pocked with crashes that are blocking lanes and causing additional road hazards.
Lakewood, Edgewater, Lakeside, Mountain View and Wheat Ridge are all on accident alert Friday morning, according to police tweets.
People involved in a crash should exchange insurance information with the other driver and later report the incident to police. Drivers should call 911 immediately in drunken driving, injury and hit-and-run crashes. Also call police when a crashed vehicle is blocking traffic.
TRAFFIC ALERT: The City of Lakewood is on accident alert. Here’s a guide to determine if you need to call us for a crash or report online. Stay off the roads if you can. Itap bad out there.
— Lakewood Police Dept. (@LakewoodPDCO)
The right lane westbound lane of U.S. 26 has reopened between I-25 and Colorado 224 after it was closed because of a crash, according to a Colorado Department of Transportation tweet.
Multiple lanes of southbound I-25 were closed at Evans Avenue causing delays until just before 6 a.m. All lanes have since been reopened.
Several mountain passes including in Eagle and Summit counties are closed for safety reasons due to heavy snow and there is no estimate of how long they will remain closed.
I-70 mountain conditions remain extreme—see this video just taken at the Eisenhower Tunnel. Expect long delays and closures as crews work to restore roads to safe condition.
— Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT) (@ColoradoDOT)
Interstate 70 is closed at Vail Pass and the Eisenhower Tunnel. Loveland Pass and Hoosier Pass are also closed.
Up to 2 feet of snow was forecast for Thursday and Friday in the mountains by the National Weather Service in Boulder.
ROAD CLOSURE UPDATE: Mountain passes throughout Eagle and Summit Counties remained CLOSED. , , , and are closed due to safety concerns and adverse weather. No estimated time for re-open.
— CSP Eagle (@CSP_Eagle)
