DENVER — The first snow of the season is causing a mess on Colorado's roads on Saturday.
The National Weather Service and the Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT) urged travelers to slow down and use extra caution.
Denver Department of Transportation said Sunday around noon that 40 to 50 plow drivers were on duty Sunday, and will have crews working overnight to address trouble spots.
Drivers were encouraged to go slowly, especially approaching interstates, as roads were expected to be slick with temperatures forecasted to only top in the 20s. Plow drivers were focusing on bridges and overpasses, as well as streets and walkways around Empower Field at Mile High ahead of the Broncos game.
Travel Alerts
The Colorado State Patrol (CSP) said conditions were affecting travel throughout the Front Range. The snow was freezing along Interstate 25 and C-470.
CDOT said westbound lanes of Interstate 70 were closed at the Vail Pass summit. Two lanes of eastbound I-70 were closed near Golden as of 6:15 p.m. due to crash, according to cotrip.org. Those lanes reopened after the crash was cleared.
Several places were on accident alert including unincorporated areas of Douglas, Jefferson, Clear Creek, Gilpin, Broomfield and western Arapahoe counties, as well as the cities of Castle Rock and Centennial.
A traction law is in effect on Interstate 70 and U.S. 285. A chain law is in effect for both directions of Interstate 70 from Golden to Idaho Springs, as well as U.S. 285 from Morrison to Pine Junction.
Road Closures
FORECAST: Full forecast
CLOSURES: Full list of closures
ALERTS: Latest Colorado weather alerts
Know before you go and check out COtrip.org for the latest road conditions.
Keep up with the latest road conditions here:
Colorado chain and traction laws
The CDOT urged travelers to be aware of chain and traction law codes before heading out on the roadway:
- Code 18/Commercial Chain Law: Commercial vehicles and trucks must have chains. Vehicles without chains can often lose traction, causing traffic delays and sometimes road closures. For the safety of the traveling public, it's critical to use chains to comply with Colorado's chain law.
- Code 15/Passenger Traction Law: All passenger vehicles must have appropriate all-weather tires with 3/16-inch depth. Vehicles must have one of the following: winter tires, tires with mud/snow (M+S) designation, chains or alternative traction devices such as an autosock. 4WD and AWD vehicles must have winter tires or all-weather tires.
- Code 16/Passenger Chain Law: All passenger vehicles need chains, except for 4WD and AWD vehicles with all-weather tires with 3/16-inch tread depth.
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