DENVER — Several major roads across Colorado were closed Saturday as extreme winter weather moved through the state.
The Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT) tweeted at 5:41 a.m. that Interstate 70 was closed due to safety concerns between Exit 203 (East Frisco) and Exit 205 (Silverthorne). Lanes reopened around 8 a.m.
Keep up with the latest road conditions here:
The Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT) was preparing for a busy holiday travel weekend that will be impacted by several rounds of snow and frigid temperatures.
Heavy snow and strong winds could cause ground blizzards and zero visibility over the Martin Luther King Jr. Day holiday weekend through Tuesday.
Colorado's mountains will be impacted by snow Friday, Saturday and Sunday. CDOT said areas of concern include Georgetown to West Vail on Interstate 70 and U.S. 40 to Steamboat Springs.
On Friday night, westbound Interstate 70 closed from the Silverthorne to East Frisco due to a crash.
An Avalanche Warning and Avalanche Advisories have been posted for nearly all of the Colorado mountain regions.
Motorists should also be prepared for the possibility of safety closures for avalanche mitigation operations along the I-70 mountain corridor and other high mountain passes, especially on Tuesday morning.
In the Denver area and on the eastern plains, Arctic cold with dangerous wind chill readings may result in icy and slick road conditions through Tuesday.
In the event of severe winter weather and deteriorating road conditions, CDOT may close state-owned roadways and implement safety closures if there are spinouts or other incidents along the highways.
CDOT said it is important that motorists make sure their vehicles are packed with equipment that may be necessary in the event of a road closure over the holiday weekend.
Motorists can visit COtrip.org, the COtrip Planner app or call 511 for the latest road conditions and updated information about highway closures.
FORECAST: Full forecast
CLOSURES: Full list of closures
ALERTS: Latest Colorado weather alerts
Denver and area counties will plow heavily traveled roads first before moving onto ones that don’t see as much traffic.
The City of Denver has 70 large plows and 36 smaller residential plows. Denver's large plows can drop deicer down to provide traction on the streets. The small plows do not carry deicer.
Know before you go and check out COtrip.org for the latest road conditions.
Colorado chain and traction laws
CDOT urged travelers to be aware of chain and traction law codes before heading out on the roadway:
- Code 18/Commercial Chain Law: Commercial vehicles and trucks must have chains. Vehicles without chains can often lose traction, causing traffic delays and sometimes road closures. For the safety of the traveling public, it's critical to use chains to comply with Colorado's chain law.
- Code 15/Passenger Traction Law: All passenger vehicles must have appropriate all-weather tires with 3/16-inch depth. Vehicles must have one of the following: winter tires, tires with mud/snow (M+S) designation, chains or alternative traction devices such as an autosock. 4WD and AWD vehicles must have winter tires or all-weather tires.
- Code 16/Passenger Chain Law: All passenger vehicles need chains, except for 4WD and AWD vehicles with all-weather tires with 3/16-inch tread depth.
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