DENVER — A person was hit and killed on Interstate 70 at Peoria Street early Friday morning.
The collision was reported shortly before 3 a.m. according to a spokesperson with the Denver Police Department.
No other injuries were reported.
All eastbound lanes of the interstate closed at Peoria Street and traffic was diverted off I-70 at the exit. Denver7 Traffic Expert Jayson Luber observed the resulting backup beginning after Central Park Boulevard, nearing Quebec Street.
Luber said a lot of drivers were trying to get off the interstate at Havanna Street, which is one potential option to get around the closure. However, Luber recommended taking Central Park as a better option or taking Quebec as his first choice.
Commuters coming from the south side of the Denver metro area can use Interstate 225, Luber said. Drivers in downtown can use E. Colfax Avenue, E. Montview Boulevard or MLK Jr. Boulevard to get toward Interstate 225.
North of downtown, 56th Ave. is significantly backed up, coming from Chambers Road to Peña Boulevard, Luber said. Take a right to get to Green Valley Ranch Boulevard, to Peña and then go toward the airport. E. 120th Ave. to E-470 gets you around the shutdown as well, Luber advised.
The interstate reopened around 6:07 a.m. However, Luber said it would take approximately 20 minutes for the traffic bottleneck to let up.
