CLEAR CREEK COUNTY, Colo. — Eastbound Interstate 70 was shut down at Floyd Hill again on Friday morning because of sun glare, making this the fourth closure of the season that typically begins in early November.
“You're driving, and that sun glare hits. It could possibly temporarily blind you for that couple of seconds," said Gabriel Moltrer, a trooper with the Colorado State Patrol. "And in that few seconds, you might not see that car in front of you stopped or that deer that’s running across the road.”
Sun glare is not unique to I-70 in Colorado. It can be potentially hazardous on any road that leads east at sunrise, but there's something about I-70 at Floyd Hill that makes it the worst.
“So, with the angle of the hill, along with the way the sun comes up over the horizon, it’s pretty much the perfect condition for the sun glare right there," Moltrer said.
He said it’s a triple angle threat that can cause road closures at Floyd Hill during any sunrise November through February.
For one, it's the angle of the sun. In the winter months, the sun stays low on the horizon for longer. That's the angle common to all east-facing highways.
But the angle of I-70’s incline is unique. Because of the elevation, it puts the sun right at road level as you come over the hill. It’s a spot that even a fully extended sun visor can’t shade completely.
It also intensifies the glare when the road surface is wet or icy.
And it's also the angle that I-70 points toward the southeast that puts the sun in a dangerous position starting in November. It reaches the farthest south by the winter solstice, but then it works its way back across the road as the sunrise gets more northerly each day until February, when it finally takes a steeper angle into the sky and also starts out blocked behind one of the foothills.
Sun glare safety tips
The Colorado State Patrol has a few recommendations for safer driving at sunrise:
- Wear polarized sunglasses with UV protection.
- Clean your windshield, inside and out.
- Top off the wiper fluid, to help maintain a clean windshield.
- Use slower speeds to increase reaction time.
Sun glare forecast
Mountain drivers probably check for possible winter weather on their smartphone apps before driving, but they can do the same thing to forecast sun glare.
On your favorite weather app, select Evergreen, CO as the location. That will give you the forecast very close to Floyd Hill. Then select the weather forecast to be displayed hourly.
Look at the icons between 6 and 8 a.m. If they show full sun, then expect there to be a closure. If there is a partly cloudy icon, expect there to still be a chance for a closure.
If you drive a different highway that faces east in the morning, you can use the same forecasting technique to know what type of sun glare conditions to expect near you.
More 9NEWS stories by Cory Reppenhagen:
SUGGESTED VIDEOS: Colorado Climate
9NEWS+ has multiple live daily shows including 9NEWS Mornings, Next with Kyle Clark and 9NEWS+ Daily, an original streaming program. 9NEWS+ is where you can watch live breaking news, weather updates, and press conferences. You can also replay recent newscasts and find videos on demand of our top stories, local politics, investigations and Colorado specific features.
To download 9NEWS+ on Roku search for KUSA.
To download 9NEWS+ on Fire TV search for 9NEWS.