GoI70

Posts Tagged ‘traffic’

Saturday and Sunday morning WB:  traffic should start to build by 7:00 a.m., peak at 8:00 a.m. and drop off soon after 9:30 a.m.  

Saturday and Sunday afternoon/evening EB:  traffic should start to build around 2:00 p.m., peak around 4:00 p.m. and clear out soon after 6:00 p.m.  

This is good news/bad news, but weather should not be a factor on the highway this weekend.  There is a chance of snow for late next week we hear, so keep your fingers crossed!

To avoid the jam heading down the hill this weekend remember, “Leave after 6:00, home by 8:00!”  Check GoI70.com/mobile to get the latest info on travel delays.

This travel forecast is based on traffic data from recent years for this same weekend in December.  Thanks to CDOT for sharing this information with GoI70.com

 Westbound to the Mountains

Friday – Delays occurred between 5:00-9:00 p.m. and peaked at 16 minutes.

Saturday – With a peak delay of 16 minutes, I70 saw moderate traffic between 7:30-10:00 a.m.

Sunday – As is typical, Sunday westbound traffic was a bit lighter, with only 9 minutes delays between 8:00-10:00 a.m.

Eastbound to Front Range

Saturday – Traffic built quickly at 3:00 and dropped off dramatically at 6:00 p.m.  Peak delays reached 40 minutes.

Sunday – Folks started the trip home around 2:00, delays peaked at 26 minutes, and I70 was running at speed by 5:30 p.m.

 Denver Ski Bus
If you haven’t heard, Denver Ski Bus will have its maiden voyage this weekend with pick-up locations in both Denver and Boulder, and destinations of Winter Park and Copper Mountain.  Spread the word!

Remember, you can access info on current delays, and messages from your fellow travelers just up the road at GoI70.com/mobile.

Some noteworthy travel updates for this Thanksgiving Holiday week and weekend:

Traffic will be fairly spread out Wednesday-Sunday, but expect approximately 15 minute westbound delays Wednesday noon-6:00 p.m., and Friday/Saturday from 7:30 a.m.-11:00 a.m. 

Eastbound delays should be expected Saturday and Sunday during the mid-late afternoon timeframe.  Keep an eye on GoI70.com/mobile for the real time status of delays, as well as Messages from your fellow travelers!

Expect lane closures both EB and WB Monday-Wednesday from 7:00 am- 4:00 pm at the Twin Tunnels, and the Hanging Lake Rest Area in Glenwood Canyon will be closed November 28-December 2.

CDOT’s Courtesy Patrol Begins

The Courtesy Patrol program begins on Friday, November 25.  Drivers of passenger and other smaller vehicles are provided free roadside assistance for services such as flat tires, fuel or water transfer, jump starts, short-distance towing, accident scene protection and minor mechanical assistance.  Three pickups and a tow truck patrol I-70 between the top of Floyd Hill and Vail, looking for disabled vehicles.  Truck personnel also respond to requests from the Colorado State Patrol, local police or the Eisenhower Tunnel.  Courtesy Patrol operates primarily on weekends (Saturdays 6 a.m. to 8 p.m./Sundays 8 a.m. to 10 p.m.), including the holiday weekends of Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Year’s, Martin Luther King Jr. Day and President’s Day.  Following the holidays, patrols will run every weekend through April 1, 2012.

Have a very safe and Happy Thanksgiving!

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The Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT), in coordination with the Colorado State Patrol (CSP), and Silverthorne Police Department (SPD), will be testing Rolling Speed Harmonization for a second time this weekend, along a longer stretch of Interstate 70.  Beginning at approximately 10 a.m. on Sunday, September 25, a single SPD car will switch on its emergency lights and merge ahead of traffic, starting just east of the Silverthorne Interchange. The police vehicle will use the center or left lane to pace eastbound vehicles, at speeds between 45 and 55 mph, to the entrance of the Eisenhower/Johnson Memorial Tunnel (EJMT). At the entrance point, the SPD then will hand-off to the CSP, with the CSP pacing vehicles through the EJMT and east 18 miles to U.S. 40 (Empire Junction).

The 27-mile pacing operation will repeat about every five to 10 minutes, until around 2 p.m.  This Sunday’s operation is a follow-up to a test conducted on Saturday, August 13, along eastbound I-70 from Silverthorne to the EJMT. Data collected from that test indicated Rolling Speed Harmonization created more uniform speeds for vehicles, and as a result, could improve safety, reduce traffic crashes and ultimately improve traffic flow on the corridor. It also showed very high compliance and speed differentials were reduced, even between vehicle platoons – a key determinant since wide variations in speed lead to higher probability of accidents which, in turn, substantially increases congestion. Communication and operational coordination also worked well between CDOT, CSP and SPD.

“This will be a more extensive test since we’re investigating how traffic flows over a much longer stretch of highway and on a Sunday, when the volume of traffic tends to be significantly higher than on Saturday,” said CDOT Regional Transportation Director Tony DeVito. “We’re asking drivers who become part of the pacing operation to please use caution and cooperate with the officers who are conducting the operation.”

“Rolling Speed Harmonization can be considered a successful way to maximize traffic flow, improve safety and lower the number of accidents, which is a big contributor to traffic congestion,” added DeVito, “and that congestion leads to metering at the tunnel, which we would like to reduce since it inconveniences our customers on the corridor.”
CDOT holds or “meters” eastbound traffic at the tunnel when vehicle volumes exceed the capacity of I-70. When back-ups occur, CDOT stops vehicles from entering the tunnel, allowing traffic to clear, before releasing more traffic into the tunnel.

After Sunday’s test, CDOT, CSP and SPD will test its use again at the end of the year, during winter driving conditions. If data from the additional tests are favorable, Rolling Speed Harmonization could be implemented during heavier traffic periods during some winter weekends in 2012.

Weekend Travel Forecast

There might be some Sunday afternoon slowing, but historical data shows maximum delays of 0-16 minutes between Noon and 6:00 on this Sunday for the last four years. The speed harmonization exercise discussed above throws in a new variable, so be aware of that.

Even though it’s “Off Season”, expect to see some crowds on the road Sunday heading eastbound. The rush will start around Noon and end around 7:00 p.m. Previous years on this weekend, the maximum delay was between 38-68 minutes. No significant Friday westbound, or Saturday eastbound volume is expected.

Plan accordingly if you want to avoid the Sunday crawl!

 The initial results of the rolling speed harmonization test conducted on August 13th on eastbound I-70 between Silverthorne and the Eisenhower/Johnson Memorial Tunnel are indicating that this effort does have the ability to create more uniform speeds for vehicles, and as a result, could improve safety, reduce traffic crashes and ultimately improve traffic flow on the corridor.  

When rolling speed harmonization is underway, a law enforcement vehicle runs with its emergency lights and merges ahead of traffic to pace vehicles and create more speed uniformity. Data showed very high compliance, and speed differentials were reduced which is a key determinant since wide variations in speed lead to higher probability of accidents, which in turn increases congestion substantially.  Only one driver tried to pass the Colorado State Patrol (CSP) pace vehicle–several times– but the officer was able to use a loud speaker to gain compliance. The test showed that communication and operational coordination worked well with all parties – CDOT, the Colorado State Patrol and the Silverthorne Police Department.

It appears from initial test indicators, this can possibly be another tool to maximize the existing capacity on I-70.  This test did not adversely affect traffic and it flowed smoothly throughout the test period. However, the vehicle counts were not that high – High: 1,479 vehicles, Low: 1,200 vehicles. 

Because the results were positive, a next test will be conducted on September 25^th extending from Silverthorne to Empire Junction/US 40.  As it’s currently scheduled for a Sunday, traffic volumes will be higher and more realistic to when this effort would be deployed. If results are still positive, CDOT will conduct the next round of rolling speed harmonization in December when winter driving conditions are likely in effect.

Travel Forecast

Good news for weekend travelers!  The historical data shows that this post-Labor Day weekend should have a lot less congestion than previous weekends.  Still expect some thick traffic westbound Friday afternoon/evening and then the  eastbound trip on Sunday will be slow (12 minute delays last year) from 1:00-6:00 so avoid that timeframe.

For the latest traffic updates,

Folks are ready to escape the heat on the Front Range this weekend so expect a big rush westbound on Friday afternoon.   Remember that this holiday weekend brings with it one of the last big traffic jams of the season.  We’re here to help you avoid that jam!

On Friday afternoon there will be a burst of travelers  from the Front Range headed west to the mountains that should begin around 4pm and taper off by 8pm.   

Saturday morning will see approximately 20 minute delays from 10am – 3pm.

Sunday will likely be the best day to travel in either direction as far as traffic goes.  We expect that the return trip east on I-70 on Sunday will be without incident or delay.

Monday travelers should be prepared for the classic Sunday Back from the Mountains Jam. Traffic will move at normal highway speeds in the early morning Monday, but eastbound delays will begin around 10am.  By about 2pm the peak (80 minutes delay last year) will occur and speeds will drop to as low as 19 mph around the Twin Tunnels.  The last two Labor Day Weekends, the traffic subsided right around 6:30 p.m.

Plan to avoid the long crawl by leaving early or staying late in the mountains.   Have the updates come right to you by following @goi70 on Twitter, or keep tabs on it by simply checking messages at GoI70.com/mobile. 

Happy Labor Day!

Friday Westbound Trip
Folks are leaving work early on Friday afternoons to head up the hill.  Westbound delays begin right around 2:00, peak between 4:00-5:00, and drop off around 7:00 p.m.   These delays are not typically significant, with a 15-22 minute delay at the peak.

Eastbound Trip
Saturday eastbound traffic is spread out enough that, barring an accident, there is not much congestion.  Sundays are a different story.  Maybe you can stay Sunday night in the mountains and head back to the Front Range early Monday morning?  Sunday eastbound traffic will build quickly around 11:00, peak between 3:00-5:00 and dissipates around 8:00 p.m.  2008 delays peaked at 96 minutes, and last year on this weekend, the peak delay was about 60 minutes.

Check out the GoI70 Deals section for things to do while you wait out the traffic Sunday evening.  Have a great weekend!

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The Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT) is restricting large trucks to the right or left lane on westbound Interstate 70, as reconstruction continues on the bridge crossing Clear Creek and U.S. 6 at the bottom of Floyd Hill.  Since new concrete is being placed on the columns (piers) underneath the bridge, large trucks (over 26,000 pounds) cannot be allowed on the roadway directly above the area under repair. 

Work is proceeding on two of the five piers that need to be repaired.  Work will continue through the summer while weather and temperatures are favorable, requiring trucks to shift lanes about every three weeks.  The lane restrictions began in early June and will continue until all of the piers have been repaired, which is anticipated by early September 2011.

WEEKEND TRAVEL FORECAST
Friday travelers heading westbound should expect moderate delays between 2:00 and 7:00 p.m.  Previous years had a peak delay time of 20 minutes around 3:30 p.m.

 Sunday afternoon and evening eastbound traffic in previous years has ranged from a 48 minute to a 99 minute delay.  Cars start hitting I-70 en masse just before noon, traffic peaks between 3:00 and 4:00, and then dissipates quickly after 8:30 p.m.  Saturday eastbound traffic is much lower in volume and tends to be more spread out.

Let the GoI70 community hear from you if you have observations from the road!  GoI70.com/mobile.  Click messages, sign in to your Twitter account, and post your message.

Enjoy the beautiful mountains this weekend!

Historical data shows the same pattern as last weekend with Sunday eastbound traffic building at Noon and dropping off by 8:00 p.m.    Expect delays of 30-55 minutes between 2:00 and 7:00, with the peak occurring around 4:00 p.m.  There were no significant Saturday eastbound delays in recent years. 

Let the GoI70 community hear from you if you have observations from the road!  GoI70.com/mobile.  Click messages, sign in to your Twitter account, and post your message!

Have a great weekend!