The westbound lanes of Interstate 70 near the Eisenhower Tunnel were closed Friday evening after a crash involving multiple vehicles, according to Colorado State Patrol.
In a 2:53 p.m. tweet, CSP Golden said the crash happened at the tunnel entrance at mile marker 216. The crash shut down the stretch of highway for about two hours.
Crash westbound at entrance to Eisenhower Tunnel, mp 216. Multiple vehicles, one reported to be on fire. No injuries reported, but all lanes are blocked. S1
— CSP Golden (@csp_golden)
In Denver, eastbound 6th Avenue was shutdown Friday afternoon just west of Interstate 25 because of a two-vehicle crash, police said in a 3:39 p.m. Twitter post. Traffic was diverted on to Interstate 25 ramps. Drivers were told to expect delays in the area. No injuries were reported.
Snow started falling in the metro area early in the afternoon, making roads wet and slippery as the day progressed under cloudy skies. At about 4:30 p.m., the temperature in Denver had dropped to 28 degrees. In the foothills west of Denver traffic was backed up in areas by the wintry weather driving conditions.
The Colorado State Patrol and other law enforcement agencies on Friday evening urged drivers to stay home and off of the roads if possible.
Eastbound at Idaho Springs mp 241
– all roads to Denver are plugged up* numerous vehicles stuck on Floyd Hill
* US 40 blocked by stuck semi's
* Multiple crashes on US 6 in Clear Creek CanyonDO NOT TAKE any backroads your GPS suggests
Wait It Out wherever you are S1— CSP Golden (@csp_golden)
In the metro area, Wheat Ridge went on accident alert at about 5 p.m., police said. Arvada, Castle Rock and Aurora were among metro area cities also going on accident alert.
Heeyyyyyyyyy sooooo friendly PSA …. If you are home STAY THERE. If your car doesn’t have awesome tires DO NOT GO ANYWHERE
— Lakewood Police Dept. (@LakewoodPDCO)
On westbound Interstate 70 between C-470 and Idaho Springs the commercial vehicle chain law went into effect at about 4:45 p.m. because of snowy weather, according to the Colorado Department of Transportation. Passenger vehicle traction law restrictions went into effect along both directions of I-70 between Golden and Idaho Springs at about 3:20 p.m.
A stretch of U.S. Highway 40 in the mountains near Rabbit Ears Pass, between County Road 186 and Colorado 14, was shut down before 5 p.m. by safety concerns because of the winter storm, according to CDOT.
At Denver International Airport, 74 flights were delayed and 18 canceled between 4 and 8 p.m. on Friday, according to Flight Aware.
