As of Sept. 1, Colorado’s new Interstate 70 traction law went into effect and anyone planning to use this arterial roadway to the mountain better listen up or be prepared to pay a fine up to $500 with a $156 surcharge if you’re not compliant and cause a lane closure on the highway. The Denver Post laid it out nice and easy for us so please read this carefully, get your rig compliant and share this on to your I-70 traveling friends.
Here’s what you need to know:
- The new traction requirements are mandatory for all drivers traveling on Interstate 70 between Dotsero and Morrison. Other roads will see driving restrictions only when there are adverse weather conditions.
- The new law mostly impacts drivers of two-wheel-drive vehicles. For nine months of the year, September through May, two-wheel-drive cars must have specialized winter tires or traction devices when driving on the mountainous section of I-70 — no matter what kind of weather is going on
- Under the new law, drivers will need: All-season tires with a mud/snow designation (often known as “M+S”) or snow tires Drivers may also use their standard tires if they carry traction chains or AutoSocks.
- Tires on all vehicles, including ones with four-wheel-drive, must have minimum tread depths of three-sixteenths of an inch. The old law required just an eighth of an inch.
- Violators will be given a $100 citation with a $32 surcharge. If a driver winds up closing one or more lanes of traffic, that fine jumps to $500 with a $156 surcharge.
