Vail aims to pass new ordinance instituting $2,650 maximum penalty for truckers blocking I-70
It's a far cry from the $20,000 fines that Vail's mayor called for at a council meeting in January, but it's up from the current penalties
CDOT/Courtesy image
Vail Mayor Travis Coggin, in announcing a new ordinance drafted for stricter chain-up penalties on Interstate 70, said the town plans to implement the maximum allowable fine for violators.
That fine will be $1,500, according to ordinance language published Friday, and it increases to $2,650 if a Vail Police Department officer determines that a vehicle is blocking any portion of a roadway “so as to impede vehicular travel.”
It’s a far cry from the $20,000 fines Coggin called for at a council meeting in January, but it’s up from the current penalties of $500 for chain-up violations for commercial vehicles and $1,150 for blocking a road. It will also allow Vail Police officers to prohibit vehicles from further travel and require towing by a private company at the driver’s expense.
All of that will be, says Police Chief Ryan Kenney, “a strong deterrent, ensuring that commercial drivers take the necessary precautions before entering hazardous conditions.”
Kenney sent the Town Council a letter, published Friday in the packet for Tuesday’s regular meeting, urging the council to pass the resolution calling for stiffer fines.
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“Despite state regulations, many trucking companies continue to disregard chain requirements, contributing to preventable delays and safety risks,” Kenney said.
This winter has seen numerous closures of Vail Pass, as recently as Sunday when a storm brought several inches of new snow to the region and closed Vail Pass during the early morning hours. The Vail Pass closure season started early this year with a 10-hour-long shutdown on Nov. 3.
“Given the frequent and severe winter weather conditions in our region, implementing this measure is critical to ensuring public safety, reducing extended road closures, and addressing the ongoing issue of trucking companies’ non-compliance,” Kenney said. “Commercial vehicles that fail to comply with chain requirements pose significant hazards to all motorists. Jackknifed or stranded trucks often create dangerous conditions, increasing the risk of accidents and limiting emergency response capabilities. A municipal ordinance would reinforce existing safety measures and encourage greater compliance.”
The town estimates that in 2024, the cumulative economic impact of I-70 closures exceeded $300 million in Colorado. That’s based on information from the Colorado Department of Transportation, which recorded 99 full closures on I-70 across the state, lasting a total of 161 hours.
“Lengthy closures of Interstate 70, particularly at Vail Pass, result in significant economic disruptions, delaying the transport of goods and affecting local businesses,” Kenney said. “By enforcing a strict municipal chain law with substantial fines, we can deter violations and minimize unnecessary road shutdowns.”
The town started its campaign for stiffer penalties by reaching out to Gov. Jared Polis with a letter, stating that commercial vehicle drivers’ failure to comply with safety laws has put the town’s emergency responders in harm’s way in adverse conditions and “also impacts our ability to respond to emergencies in the town of Vail.”
“While we appreciate the recent update to existing chain laws, the State of Colorado’s current penalties are clearly still an inadequate deterrent for those who will ignore speed limits, lane restrictions and chain-up requirements and put others at risk for the sake of saving a few minutes on the road,” the letter states.
Gov. Jared Polis told reporters on Thursday that he would be “very open to increasing the penalties” on vehicles traveling without chains or adequate tire traction on mountain roads but that the legislature would need to first send a bill to his desk.
But the town, after issuing that letter on Feb. 4, has been “underwhelmed by the response we got,” Coggin said at a council meeting a month later.
That led the council to direct town staff to draft a town of Vail ordinance increasing penalties. The council is set to vote on that ordinance Tuesday at its regular meeting, scheduled to begin at 6 p.m.
