Lengthy Vail Pass closure the result of multiple crashes, slide-offs
No major injuries reported; no data yet on whether tickets were issued
CDOT/Courtesy photo
Sunday’s snowstorm resulted in the season’s first major Vail Pass closure, with Interstate 70 being shut down roughly 10 hours from about 3 p.m. into the early morning hours.
There were multiple crashes and slide-offs reported, but Sgt. Patrick Rice of the Colorado State Patrol said no major injuries were reported. Rice said there were 19 calls for assistance between 3 p.m. and 5 p.m. Sunday, with five of those calls reporting property damage. Rice didn’t yet have data on how many tickets or heavy trucks were involved in those incidents.
Owners of two-wheel drive vehicles with standard tires must carry traction equipment on Interstate 70 between milepost 133 at Dotsero and milepost 259 at Morrison from Sept. 1 through May 31. It also increases the minimum tread depth for tires on all vehicles — including those with four-wheel drive — from an eighth of an inch to three-sixteenths of an inch.
All motorists are required to either have an all-wheel or four-wheel-drive vehicle, snow tires, or all-season tires with a mud/snow designation and if they do not, they must carry chain devices throughout winter. Variable message signs along I-70 as well as 511 traveler information and COTrip.org will be used to notify motorists of when traction/chain laws come into effect.
A similar number of incidents were reported between 5 p.m. Sunday and 5 a.m. Monday, due largely to lower traffic volume.
While the Colorado Department of Transportation’s Vail Pass improvement project includes automatic closure gates at the top of the pass, those gates haven’t yet been installed.
In a statement, Jason Smith, the Colorado Department of Transportation’s Northwest regional director, reported that crews “saw many spun-out commercial motor vehicles, vehicles struggling to get up Vail Pass, and several vehicle crashes that resulted in bottlenecked eastbound traffic” in “the narrows” segment at mile marker 186.
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As a result of those incidents, transportation officials enacted safety closures in both directions on the pass to clear those incidents and allow snowplows to clear the road.
Smith’s statement added that plows were on Vail Pass before and during the storm.
While it’s early in the season, Smith’s statement added that the department has decreased its vacancy rate for plow drivers to roughly 10% to 12% as of early October. That compares to a vacancy rate of 22% for the winter of 2023/24.
While the highway closure was an extended one, Vail Communications Director Kris Widlak said the town’s traveler shelters weren’t opened Sunday night, citing a lack of demand.
The town Monday also sent information regarding new procedures for Vail Pass closures.
Starting this winter, the town will use Exit 180 as a traffic turnaround point for eastbound traffic. In previous years, Exit 176 was the turnaround point. All eastbound traffic, including commercial vehicles, will be detoured to the westbound lanes.
Local traffic, including residents of the East Vail and Bald Mountain neighborhoods, will be allowed through the detour. Residents can get a free access placard at the Vail Police Department’s front desk. Commercial vehicles will be encouraged to head west to find parking. Non-commercial vehicles can use alternate routes or use town parking facilities. Vail Village and Lionshead and Lionshead parking structures are free during pass closures.
