IDAHO SPRINGS, Colo. — The record-breaking heat is causing many along the Front Range to seek some relief from hot temperatures by driving up to the high country.
Downtown Idaho Springs was bustling on Friday afternoon with out-of-towners and Coloradans looking to beat the heat.
“We came up just from Denver to bike up here, just because it's so hot down there,” said Denver resident Kim Martinez.
“We came this morning for whitewater rafting. With the water being like 40 degrees, it was really refreshing,” said Brooke Shafranek.
All those crowds are creating a positive economic impact in mountain communities like Idaho Springs.
“We ordered more product, more wine, more beer, more cheese,” said Mariah White, co-owner of wine bar The Bee’s Knees in downtown Idaho Springs.
White told Denver7 the crowds started Thursday and they expect foot traffic to increase as the weekend goes on.
“They'll stop in if they have reservations," White said. "Further up on the other side of the divide, we'll get busier as time goes by because they're stuck in traffic, they want to come in, use restrooms, have a drink, and then get back in their cars, eat lunch, or whatever period of time. It is awesome."
Sure enough, CDOT is warning travelers to expect major delays along the I-70 corridor this weekend because of the heat wave.
“It was pretty bad. We were anticipating like 45 minutes. Ended up taking like an hour 15 [minutes] probably,” said Brian Kistler, who drove up to Idaho Springs from the Denver metro area Friday morning.
Traffic data from this time last year showed extensive delays along the I-70 corridor as people escaped the heat, with over 100,000 vehicles traveling through the corridor between Friday and Sunday.
This year, CDOT says, will be no different.
“You can't escape it at any time ever. It's just like the new normal here,” said Shafranek.
This is only the beginning of the summer rush.
CDOT says the next few weekends will be extremely busy along the I-70 corridor.
In the meantime, business owners like White are ready and excited to welcome the crowds with open arms.
“Everybody's kind of nervous because of uncertainty with our economics,” White said. “So we're all thinking positive here in this town, and this is a great little town to visit.”
