GoI70

Saturday morning update: Expect longer than usual delays westbound on I-70 this Saturday morning due to the convergence of weather and human scheduling. Snow continued into the wee hours Friday night on the east side of the divide and while it should clear in the morning icy, slushy driving conditions will persist. The very fresh snow will draw skiers in large numbers. They will be joined by a large wave of Spring Break vacationers who, after wisely delaying their Friday departures, will be hitting the highway all in a hurry. Plan for winter driving conditions and lots of company.

Original post: We are in the middle of a month of travel spurred by the traditional spring break taken by colleges and school districts across Colorado and the nation. Travelers along I-70 will encounter somewhat unusual travel patterns for the next two or three weeks.

Based on recent experience, there will be a greater than usual westbound delay on Saturday which will hit later in the morning. There will, also, probably be a short early morning rush hour on Friday and heavy volumeFriday evening. The eastbound rush hour on Sunday will begin in the mid-morning rather than after 2pm. Traffic will be heavy all day Sunday. Finally, the impacted region of the highway will extend west past Vail as many travelers will be heading to destinations like Fruita, Moab or San Francisco.

If you are traveling west of Vail, remember that there is a several mile long stretch of two-lane routing around the rock slide damage between Dotsero and Glenwood Springs.  There is a 40 mph speed limit through this alternative route and a 14 ft width limit. At peak travel times on the weekends, travelers should expect delays through this section.

Because school districts and colleges stagger the dates for Spring Break there is a new pulse of vacationers from different locals each week. The season for Colorado schools began this past week when DU, CSU, Douglas Schools and Denver Public Schools all went on break. This coming week the University of Colorado and Metro State along with school districts in Boulder and Adams County will be on break. The state’s largest district, Jefferson County Public Schools and the Saint Vrain Valley School District go on vacation March 29 along with a number of private schools. There are, also, a wide variety of starting dates for school districts and colleges across the country, whose students and families come to spend their time in the Colorado mountains.

Spring break brings many far-flung, inexperienced travelers to the mountain highways. This can become a complicating factor when bad weather hits the rush hour traffic. Take extra care for your fellow travelers, you can’t count on them being as familiar with mountain driving as you are.