Summer traffic season set to start
DENVER – The Colorado Department of Transportation is reminding drivers to anticipate heavy traffic in many areas of the state over the Memorial Day weekend due to the number of events and social activities taking place throughout the state to kick off the summer season.
All CDOT construction projects will be suspended statewide by late Friday afternoon to reduce potential delays. The only exception is for emergency operations. Projects can resume their regular schedule on Tuesday.
More traffic than normal will travel westbound I-70 on Friday and Saturday and on eastbound I-70 on Memorial Day, Monday, especially between Summit County and the Denver area.
Drivers can also expect the resumption of “continuous flow metering” at the tunnel this weekend, primarily on Monday. Last winter, CDOT began testing this new way of metering traffic during congested periods. Similar to ramp metering used in the Denver metro area and other congested areas, traffic is spread into four lanes with traffic signals located above each lane. The signals then alternate traffic, efficiently regulating the flow of traffic the tunnel. They cycle every four to eight seconds so vehicles only have to stop briefly before being allowed to enter into the tunnel.
Seasonal roads opening for the season include State Highway 82 over Independence Pass between Twin Lakes and Aspen (opened Thursday), State Highway 5 – the Mount Evans Highway (State Highway 5) at 5 p.m. Friday, and Trail Ridge Road through Rocky Mountain National Park (Friday).
