EB I-70 back open from Silverthorne to Vail due after safety closure due to inclement weather

DENVER -- A 30-mile stretch of eastbound I-70 was closed Sunday afternoon due to heavy traffic and increasing snowfall, the Colorado Department of Transportation said.

The safety closure was announced at around 3:30 p.m., at first beginning on the eastbound lanes of I-70 at Silverthorne.

But 30 minutes later, a CDOT official announced on Twitter the safety closure had moved from Silverthorne all the way to Vail.

upd Closure Moved -I-70 EB MM 180 Vail b/c heave snowfall & increasing heavy traffic

— CDOT (@ColoradoDOT) November 27, 2016

CDOT spokeswoman Amy Ford talked to Denver7 about the various reasons why safety closures are put in place; one reason is so that people don’t get stuck in the queue.

The closures are also in strategic locations where drivers can safely pull off the road, such as spots where there are food and gas stations, Ford said.

The closures also prevent plows from being stuck in traffic and/or crashes so they can better clear the roads. Once the roads are cleared, traffic can resume, Ford added.

All eastbound lanes from Silverthorne to Vail were back open at around 5:30 p.m. 

Eastbound I-70 was also closed at Glenwood Canyon due to multiple crashes. Denver7 was not immediately able to confirm if anyone had sustained any injuries from those crashes.