Colorado Governor Jared Polis was on-hand to open the new runaway truck ramp constructed near mile marker 182 on I-70 near Vail. There has always been a runaway truck ramp in the area, but truckers have actually avoided it in the past because it used to be steep and curvy.
Only 6 trucks were using the old ramp per year when more probably should have. Skipping the runaway ramp led to trucks catching on fire or wrecking along I-70 and shutting down the corridor to all motor vehicle travel.
The new runaway ramp has a more gradual incline and should encourage truckers to use the ramp and therefore keep the highway open to other motorists.
Good on Colorado for doing something to mitigate traffic backups on I-70. There’s a lot of work left to be done, but this feels like a small step in the right direction.
Now the rich yuppies should be able to get to their Vail villas without the hassle of waiting for lowly truckers to extinguish their vehicles. I’m kidding of course, but am I?