A spring snowstorm is impacting travel throughout the Colorado mountains and parts of metro Denver, including crashes and safety closures on Interstate 70 and U.S. 6.
Up to 5 inches of snow is expected to fall in Denver and up to a foot is possible in the mountains through Saturday morning, according to National Weather Service forecasters.
Winter Weather Advisories are in effect for much of the western half of the state, with the National Weather Service warning that travel through the mountains could be “hazardous” in some places and “very difficult to impossible” in others.
Westbound I-70 was closed at Eisenhower Tunnel for a safety hold for around three hours on Friday afternoon because semitruck drivers were putting on tire chains while stopped on the highway between Silverthorne and Frisco, according to the Colorado State Patrol.
Colorado road closures as of 7:30 p.m.:
- U.S. 6 between I-70 and mile 228, east of Keystone Ski Resort
9:40 a.m. update: Colorado’s Department of Transportation is warning commercial vehicle drivers to obey the state’s chain laws after stranded truckers failed to use chains and refused tows, prolonging mountain closures of Interstate 70.
CDOT spokesperson Matt Inzeo said the closures west of Golden lasted roughly three hours in spots Friday morning, as state troopers goaded truckers into accepting help out of travel lanes.
He said drivers of tractor-trailers are required to carry chains locally through Memorial Day.
“It’s obviously a disruption for all of the vehicles that are impacted by that, but the alternative is the mess that we saw this morning,” he said.
Inzeo said that, while freeways in the Denver metro area are expected to be clear of snow overnight, all drivers should watch out for slippery roads.
“While we’ll mostly be dealing with wet roads in the metro area, you could be dealing with freezing or slushy conditions once the sun sets tonight,” he said.
9 a.m. update: Interstate 70 was once again open west of Golden amid snow as of 8:49 a.m., according to the Colorado Department of Transportation.
Colorado State patrol has warned drivers in the area should use caution and leave extra space in front of their vehicles, and drivers of commercial vehicles must use chains.
U.S. 6 reopened east of Silverthorne as of 11 a.m.
Previous reporting: An ongoing April snowstorm has closed a segment of Interstate 70 between Golden and the Eisenhower-Johnson Memorial Tunnel, according to the Colorado Department of Transportation.
As of 8:25 a.m., westbound I-70 was closed between Golden and the tunnel. The eastbound side from the tunnel to Silverthorne also closed Friday morning but reopened shortly before 7:20 a.m.
Both directions of U.S. 6 east of Silverthorne remained closed as of 8:25 a.m.
Plow trucks are active in the area and across the state, as workers battle the storm that could drop up to a foot of snow in the mountains through Saturday morning.
All major Denver highways remained open as of 7:30 a.m., per CDOT.
This is a developing story and will be updated.
