A semi is jackknifed on Interstate 70 in Glenwood Canyon.

CDOT and CSP urge I-70 drivers in Glenwood Canyon to follow safety instructions to prevent closures

CDOT PRESS RELEASE
February 17, 2023

The Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT) and Colorado State Patrol (CSP) ask the traveling public to follow the speed limit on Interstate 70 in Glenwood Canyon and drive for the conditions, especially as winter weather continues through the coming weeks and months. Following a series of crashes that have caused extended closures of the interstate, CDOT and CSP are urging all drivers to redouble efforts to follow best safety practices. Driving too fast for conditions has contributed or caused all of the crash closures in the canyon so far in 2023.

An unfortunate pattern of reckless and unsafe behaviors, primarily speeding, requires the state to consider a full range of solutions to address driver behavior. Unsafe speeds can lead to a number of additional driving errors including the inability to maintain a safe lane position and it reduces the amount of time both the speeding driver and those around them have to brake or move out of the way to avoid a collision.

Colorado’s mountain roads are vulnerable to extreme weather and conditions like flooding, mudslides, and rockslides. The twists and curves of I-70 along the floor of Glenwood Canyon make that road even more challenging during weather events, and the limited space along the road’s bridges and viaducts can delay crash responses and clean-ups. The impacts of these incidents can be as impactful to commuters and other freight haulers as the unavoidable acts of Mother Nature. Approximately $1 million is lost for every hour that I-70 is closed on the mountain corridor.

Full CDOT press release