CDOT begins work to install 66 new cameras, including on Loveland, Berthoud and Rabbit Ears passes
The new cameras will replace those that were turned off last summer after the Colorado Department of Transportation’s contract with a private company lapsed
Colorado Department of Transportation/Courtesy graphic
The Colorado Department of Transportation has kicked off a project to install 66 new cameras across the state, replacing some of the cameras it removed in rural mountain communities last summer.
The cameras will be put up over the next two years and will go live by fall 2027, according to a news release. The transportation department said the new camera infrastructure is part of a transition to a “state-owned, state-managed network designed for long-term reliability, cost savings and operational control.”
The current plans call for five new cameras on U.S. Highway 6 at Loveland Pass, one at U.S. Highway 9 and Heeney Road north of Silverthorne, one on Highway 9 in Blue River, five on U.S. Highway 40 at Berthoud Pass and three along Highway 40 at Rabbit Ears Pass.
The cameras will replace about 136 cameras, only about 90 of which were operational, that were taken down after its contract with a private company expired in July, CDOT Maintenance and Operations Communications Lead Stacia Sellers said.
Especially in mountain communities, residents often used the cameras to assess route conditions before heading out on the road. The transportation department said in the release that “public feedback was helpful in identifying where on the network customer utilization of cameras concentrates.”
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In some areas, where camera coverage was critical, including Berthoud Pass and Rabbit Ears Pass, the release states that the transportation department has placed solar powered cameras on existing infrastructure or placed cameras on portable trailers. Statewide, the transportation department operates more than 1,000 cameras, according to the news release.
A map showing where the new cameras are planned for installation is available at tinyurl.com/CDOTCameras.
