IDAHO SPRINGS, Colo. — On what was supposed to be one of the busiest shopping days of the year, the owner of a small business in Idaho Springs says she lost money because of road closures.
The Colorado Department of Transportation closed I-70 from 12:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m. on Friday as crews worked to remove unstable rock.
Sadie Peak, owner of The Spice & Tea Exchange, said the closure had detrimental effects on her Black Friday sales. "Living in the mountains can be dangerous and it is important to have those safety features," she said, "but when you have no communication and this complete and utter lack of understanding and respect for the communities you're affecting – it gets really hard to understand where CDOT is coming from."
Matt Inzeo with CDOT agrees it was bad timing but says rock mitigation had to happen. "We’re bringing teams in on a holiday weekend," said Inzeo. "The priority there is to have maintenance crews fully staffed.”
Inzeo told 9NEWS the office staff who would have been answering questions from business owners like Peak, was limited on Friday because of the holiday.
Peak said she lost 80% of her business because of the closure.
The Spice & Tea Exchange is extending their sales through the holiday season in hopes of selling all the extra inventory that was bought for Black Friday.