DENVER – The Colorado Department of Transportation is suspending all of its construction projects starting this Friday through next Wednesday to try and ease the rush of traffic that will flow into Colorado starting this weekend.
The heaviest traffic is expected along westbound I-70 from Denver through the mountains Friday through Saturday evening, and the return eastbound traffic is also expected to cause headaches between Summit County and Denver Tuesday and Wednesday.
CDOT says more than 3.6 million vehicles traveled through the Eisenhower/Johnson Memorial Tunnels from July through September last year, and that 1.3 million of those came in July alone.
The I-70 Mountain Express Lane, which runs from Empire to Idaho Springs, is expected to be activated as traffic gets heavier.
U.S. 285 and U.S. 550 are also expected to be congested as travelers make their way to Colorado’s mountain towns.
Cottonwood Pass is the only major pass currently closed, as construction crews continue improvements and paving.
CDOT says traffic will be worst on southbound I-25 from Denver to Colorado Springs between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. on both Saturday and Sunday, and northbound traffic back to Denver will be heaviest between 5 and 7 p.m. on both days.
In order to check current road conditions, click here or dial 511.