DENVER — Winter weather is making for dangerous driving conditions on Denver area roads Friday night into Saturday morning.
At 6:25 a.m. Saturday, CDOT said westbound lanes of Interstate 70 were closed between Exit 163: Edwards and Exit 157: CO 131 (4 miles west of Edwards), due to a stalled vehicle.
Friday night, Wheat Ridge Police said the westbound lanes of Interstate 70 were closed at Ward Road due to a crash involving six cars and a semi. There weren't any serious injuries. As of Saturday morning, they were back open.
CSP said the eastbound lanes of I-70 were closed near Evergreen after multiple vehicles spun out and a semi-truck lost its trailer, blocking all four lanes. Those lanes were also back open Saturday morning.
The City of Broomfield is on accident alert because of the conditions.
The National Weather Service (NWS) said it's best not to be on the roads, especially in the western metro area.
NWS said it's seeing snowfall rates of up to 2 inches per hour in places. The agency expects roads to become icy and snow to be packed at lower elevations along the Interstate 25 corridor through the late evening as temperatures continue to drop.
A cold front moved into Colorado late Thursday, bringing strong winds in the foothills and mountains west of Denver.
The Front Range and Denver can expect several inches of snow by Saturday morning. Snow total predictions range from 1 to 4 inches of snow in the Denver area. Up to a foot of snow could fall in Colorado's high country.
The highest totals will come on the west and south sides of the metro area, where the snow will hold on the longest.
This is a developing story. 9NEWS will provide more information as it becomes available.
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The Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT) provides these tips for safe driving in Colorado:
Expect the unexpected
Slow down
Don't tailgate
Be aware of emergency crews
Heed signs
Obey flaggers
Stay alert and minimize distractions
Keep with the traffic flow
Plan your drive
Be patient and stay calm
It is also important to be aware of emergency vehicles.
Colorado's Move Over Law requires drivers to move over a lane when there’s an emergency situation along the shoulder. If the driver can’t move over, they must slow down significantly to avoid an accident.
The law was implemented in 2005 and strengthened in 2020. A CDOT news release states: "The updated law stipulates that if a driver is unable to move at least one lane away from the stationary emergency vehicle, the driver must slow down to at least 25 miles per hour on roadways with a speed limit below 45 miles per hour. On roadways with speed limits 45 miles per hour or more, motorists must slow down to 20 miles per hour less than the posted speed limit. Drivers that fail to slow down or move over commit the crime of careless driving, a class 2 misdemeanor traffic offense that can result in up to 90 days in jail and a fine of up to $300."
CDOT recommends people check COtrip.org to find out about road conditions, construction zones, and traffic alerts.
9NEWS also provides traffic updates and alerts through the 9NEWS app.
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