GoI70

We asked Bob Wilson, the Public Relations Manager for the Colorado Department of Transportation, what most seemed to be on people’s mind this season. Without missing a beat he replied, “People want to know why we meter the Eisenhower Tunnel.”  GoI70 and COTRIP – CDOT’s excellent web site – will let you know when there is metering. Here is Bob Wilson’s explanation and some advice on what to do when CDOT is metering the tunnel. Read it and head it.

If you’ve driven Interstate 70 over the last few weekends, you’ve probably noticed there’s been an uptick in traffic along the corridor.  This isn’t surprising since the ski season is kicking into high gear.  However, the heavier traffic, especially eastbound on Sunday afternoons, has required the Colorado Department of Transportation to occasionally stop eastbound traffic at the Eisenhower Tunnel. These stops have been occurring for nearly 20 years but recently, we’ve been getting more questions than usual on why we’re doing it.  Good question with a simple answer that’s not always apparent: we do it for safety.

When we stop vehicles from entering the tunnel, it’s known as metering.  It usually occurs on eastbound I-70, right before you enter the west portal of the tunnel.  We meter when traffic volumes exceed the capacity of the corridor, or when there’s an accident or bad weather causes traffic to back up – or all of those things are occurring at once.  By stopping vehicles from entering the tunnel, it allows the existing back-ups inside of the tunnel to clear out.  Those stops usually last about 15 to 20 minutes because that’s about how long it usually takes to clear traffic from the tunnel.

The tipping point occurs when half the tunnel, about one mile, is at a dead stop.  That’s when we need the existing traffic to clear.  Inside the tunnel, there are only two lanes, no pull-outs or any shoulders.  On top of that, the vehicles are tightly wedged together.  All of that adds up to gridlock.  So if there’s a medical emergency, a fire (vehicle or otherwise), or some other problem in the tunnel or just outside of it, CDOT or some other entity, like the Colorado State Patrol, wouldn’t be able to respond.  Safety is CDOT’s first priority so we can’t let those types of conditions occur.

We also stop traffic – both eastbound and westbound – for other reasons as well.  Trucks carrying hazardous materials aren’t allowed to travel through the tunnel and must use Loveland Pass.  But adverse winter weather frequently closes the pass, requiring hazmat vehicles to travel through the tunnel.  CDOT does not allow hazmat to travel through the tunnel with other vehicles, again for safety.  So, usually at the top of the hour, we escort waiting hazmat loads through the tunnel.  Those closures usually last about 15 minutes.

As we move into March, which usually means more traffic due to additional snow and spring break, eastbound drivers should expect more metering on the weekends, primarily in the afternoon and usually on Sundays.  But please remember, tunnel metering can take place on eastbound and/or westbound I-70 at any time, for accidents, or for daytime avalanche control work.

You can call 511 from your cell phone or check our www.cotrip.org Web site – the information will be on the left side of the home page, under “Travel Alerts.”  We’ll also use the big electronic sign boards on I-70, and along Highways 6 and 9 to let drivers know when we’re metering.

Finally, be prepared before you head up to the tunnel.  If we’re metering, please stop in one of the Summit County towns and hit the restroom (especially if you have little ones with you), eat if you’re hungry and gas up your vehicle if it’s running low.  After you leave Silverthorne, the next services aren’t until the Georgetown area – 25 miles of no go, no fuel, and no food – but more frustration than you need as you finish off your day in Colorado’s high country.

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