CLEAR CREEK COUNTY, Colo. — The Colorado Department of Transportation will begin using digital speed limit signs Tuesday on eastbound Interstate 70 between Georgetown and Idaho Springs, the agency announced in a news release.
#CDOT #News: CDOT launches variable speed limit sign technology on eastbound #I70 between Georgetown and Idaho Springs. Speed limits will adjust in real-time depending on road conditions for the safety of motorists.
— Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT) (@ColoradoDOT) March 11, 2024
📰https://t.co/CrBaDpd6mK#KnowBeforeYouGo pic.twitter.com/Ay9Y0XaW0U
These devices look similar to a regular speed limit signs, but there's an LED light that can change to "best suit conditions on the highway," CDOT said.
They are referred to as variable speed limit signs.
They automatically adjust the speed limit based on traffic congestion and bad weather. The goal is they "will help prevent crashes at higher speeds, reduce the chances of secondary crashes and improve traffic flow through the corridor," according to CDOT. "VSLs have been shown to improve safety and operations on highways nationwide," the agency's director for Region 1 Jessica Myklebust said.
They work the same as a normal speed limit sign. You can get a ticket for surpassing the speed limit posted when you're driving in the area.
VSLs were installed on this section of eastbound I-70 in 2022 as part of an ongoing CDOT project to implement the technology in busy areas. The agency started using them on I-70 in Glenwood Canyon in 2017.
The agency replaced 13 old VSLs and installed 13 new signs along the ten-mile stretch of I-70, so there would be similar postings on both sides of the highway.
VSLs are also being used in Glenwood Canyon. CDOT said there are plans to install more in other parts of the state, specifically Wolf Creek Pass.
