Holiday Traffic Plus Snow Will Make For Crowded Mountain Roads

COLORADO – If you're planning to travel into the mountains to ski this holiday weekend, expect heavy traffic and delays, the Colorado Department of Transportation said. Predicted snow this weekend, along with heavier-than-normal traffic will bring delays along the Interstate 70 corridor and adjacent highways for the three-day Martin Luther King Jr. weekend.

“This is the time of year when we tend to see the ski traffic increase,” said I-70 Mountain Corridor Operations Manager Patrick Chavez in a statement from the agency. “More snow, Presidents Day Weekend and spring break all combine for additional traffic on the mountain highways, not just this weekend, but continuing through the end of March.”

Snow is predicted in the mountains Thursday through Saturday, with the heaviest snowfall on Friday (three to six inches).

"Motorists should plan for longer than normal travel times due to the combination of heavy holiday traffic and snow packed road conditions," the agency said.

Traffic on I-70 west typically bumps up the Friday before the MLK weekend, making westbound traffic heavier than normal Friday and Saturday. Then, expect heavier than normal traffic on eastbound I-70 Sunday and Monday, especially between Eagle County and the Denver area, the agency said.

But there's good news for local Golden residents. To help move traffic along, CDOT will suspend its rockfall mitigation project on U.S. 6 through Clear Creek Canyon on Monday, Jan. 21, for MLK day, the agency said.

Want to check the traffic before you go? Colorado highway information is available at all times on CDOT's cotrip.org website or by calling 511.

Stay up-to-date on Golden news with Patch! There are many ways for you to connect and stay in touch: Free newsletters and Email Alerts|Facebook