A mix of holiday crowds and winter weather led to a messy day on Monday, February 17, as drivers attempted to travel along I-70 in the mountains of Colorado.
Several videos have been shared related to the traffic, including major pileups, out-of-control vehicles, and people just trying to find something to do while stuck in hours of traffic.
According to the Colorado Department of Transportation, I-70 eastbound closed at Silverthorne/ Exit 205 at around 7:40am on Monday due to adverse conditions and multiple slide-offs. It was reopened again around 9:30am. Around 10:30am, I-70 Westbound closed between Exit 232: US 40; Empire Junction and Exit 228: CR 381 due to a crash involving at least 8 vehicles. That reopened several hours later.
Another crash closed Westbound between US 6 and Palisade/ Exit 42 for a period, multiple slide offs and crashes closed Eastbound between East Vail/ Exit 180 and Vail Pass/ Exit 190, and Eastbound was once again closed at Silverthorne/ Exit 205 due to safety concerns and multiple spin-outs around 4:20pm.
That’s just Monday, too. Several other closures and crashes occurred throughout the weekend, leading to major traffic jams. Even Tuesday, February 18 has already seen some serious traffic along I-70.
If you’re going to drive in the winter during winter storms, make sure you’re car can handle the conditions, drive safely, and look ahead at potential closures and traffic before you leave. Learn more on winter driving in Colorado here.
