I-70 reopens on Vail Pass after vehicle fire causes extended closure
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Interstate 70 has reopened on Vail Pass at mile marker 187 after a vehicle fire caused a more than 2-hour closure Tuesday morning.
The call was initiated at 9:25 a.m., according to Colorado State Patrol, for a hybrid vehicle of unknown make and model. The closure began at 9:43 a.m. and the vehicle’s battery re-ignited at approximately 10 a.m., causing the flames to intensify, said State Patrol Trooper Gabriel Moltrer.
No injuries were reported.
“The vehicle was fully engulfed,” Moltrer said.
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Closures were also estimated to begin on Tuesday for rock blasting on the West Vail Pass Auxiliary Lanes project, but the vehicle fire which closed the interstate on Tuesday did not appear to be related to that work.
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Construction work resumed on the West Vail Pass Auxiliary Lanes project in April.
The project aims to add another lane to I-70 eastbound. To do so, a section of the pedestrian trail between mile markers 185 and 187 will need to be moved farther from I-70 to facilitate the addition of the new eastbound lane.
Crews are currently focused on the westbound I-70 bridge at mile point 185.
Rock-blasting work and light evening delays are expected to begin today. During these short blasts, I-70 traffic and recreation trail users will be stopped in both directions for up to 30 minutes, according to the Colorado Department of Transportation.
The $170 million project is currently in year three of a five-year expected completion timetable.
