The roughly 57-mile drive between Denver and the Eisenhower Tunnel is taking around two hours Sunday morning as snow falls and skiers and boarders hustle to get to the hills to take advantage of the fresh powder.
Chain and traction laws are in effect on most of Interstate 70 between Morrison and Vail, said Mike Murray, a spokesman for the Colorado Department of Transportation. For a passenger car, that means at the least having snow tires with adequate tread, or being all-wheel driver or four-wheel drive.
Heavy Traffic Increasing- #I70West;Up to 2 hours total travel time from Denver/C-470 to Eisenhower Tunnel,MM 259-215
— Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT) (@ColoradoDOT) January 21, 2018
In urban areas, snow and icy conditions are create hazards on the roads as well. The cities of Thornton and Aurora both issued accident alerts early Sunday morning. The alert generally means that motorists are encouraged to exchange insurance information with other drivers in the event of an accident but avoid calling police unless someone was injured in the crash to ensure first responders are available for serious emergency situations.
Denver police took to social media to encourage people to avoid driving in the storm, telling one Tweeter curious about the legality of doing doughnuts in a vacant parking lot, “We’d rather you stay off the roads and much on donuts while binging Netflix!”
It’s supposed to snow allllllll day. We recommend you take a queue from Snoopy here — stay home, veg out and maybe catch up on some reading. But, if you must head out, drive safely and take your time. #Denver #SnowDay pic.twitter.com/EXlBoDIJOe
— Denver Police Dept. (@DenverPolice) January 21, 2018
Road conditions are expected to get particularly nasty on the Eastern Plains. The National Weather Service has issued a blizzard warning for points east of Limon and Sterling and everything in between. In addition to snow, high winds are expected in the area which could result in low visibility for drivers.
“I -70 from Limon out to the Kansas border, I would not recommend that today,” Weather Service forecaster Scott Entrekin said.
People who chose to drive today should be prepared. Murray said drivers should make sure their windshield wipers are working and in good shape before setting out and check to make sure they have plenty of wiper fluid. It’s also a good idea to keep a blanket, food, water and a shovel in the vehicle in case of emergency.
