Colorado: Spring storm packs a punch

Posted on March 23, 2013 by Bob Berwyn

Resorts reporting powder conditions, but road conditions could hamper access, while the backcountry avalanche danger soars

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An active northern jet stream is bringing cold air and moisture to the northern tier of states, including Colorado. On and off snow is possible through the weekend.

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The CAIC is reporting numerous backcountry avalanches. Click here for more photos.

By Bob Berwyn

FRISCO — March is living up to its reputation as the snowiest month in the Colorado high country, with chilly spring storm snarling roads, intensifying avalanche danger and adding much-needed moisture to the state’s snowpack.

Ski areas around the state are generally reporting up to 12 inches of new snow in the past few days, and moderate to heavy snow continued falling Saturday morning. Some of the heaviest totals are expected east of the Continental Divide, where the California Department of Transportation reported bumper-to-bumper traffic around I-70 and C-470.

East of Denver, I-70 was closed to the Kansas border, and slick conditions on the westbound approach to the mountains prompted CDOT to require chains, snow tires or four-wheel drive for all vehicles in Mt. Vernon Canyon, just west of Denver.

(more…)

Filed under: avalanches, climate and weather, Colorado, Snow and weather, Summit County snow and weather | Tagged: , , , , , , , , | Leave a Comment »

Colorado: I-70 traffic stop turns into drug bust

Posted on March 1, 2013 by Bob Berwyn
Investigators found more than eight pounds of cocaine in a car headed from California to Denver.

Investigators found more than eight pounds of cocaine in a car headed from California to Denver. Photo courtesy Summit County Sheriff’s Office.

Arrest warrants issued for two men transporting cocaine and methamphetamine

By Summit Voice

FRISCO —Local law enforcement officials have issued arrest warrants for two California residents suspected of transporting drugs along the I-70 corridor after a Feb. 12 traffic stop.

An initial search of the vehicles with drug-sniffing dogs detected controlled substances in the center console area and underneath the rear seats. The vehicle was impounded until a search warrant could be executed and sheriff’s deputies gave the men a courtesy ride to hotel.

After getting a warrant, the subsequent search of the car “yielded the large cache of narcotics,” according to District Attorney Bruce Brown. (more…)

Filed under: Colorado, Summit County Colorado, Summit County news | Tagged: , , , , | 2 Comments »

CDOT launches smart phone app for I-70

Posted on September 26, 2012 by Bob Berwyn

A map page on the smart phone I-70 app shows your exact location along the corridor.

Travel times, delays and more info aims to ease the ski-traffic crunch

By Summit Voice

FRISCO — Stakeholders along the I-70 corridor are hoping to ease ski traffic with a combination of measures, including better communication with travelers, and a new smart phone app could be one piece of that puzzle.

The Colorado Department of Transportation says the new CDOT Mobile app  will make critical information such as highway conditions and traffic information more accessible, dynamic and interactive.

CDOT Mobile will enable users to make better decisions about travel mode and route, resulting in a more productive, safe and efficient transportation system. (more…)

Filed under: Colorado, I-70, tourism, transportation, Travel | Tagged: , , , , | Leave a Comment »

Colorado: Input sought on I-70 Twin Tunnels plan

Posted on July 21, 2012 by Bob Berwyn

Public meeting set for July 25 in Idaho Springs

Straightening some of the tight turns along I-70 east of the Twin Tunnels should improve traffic flow and safety.

By Summit Voice

SUMMIT COUNTY — As the Colorado Department of Transportation forges ahead with a plan to add a new eastbound bore to the Twin Tunnels along I-70, the agency wants some public comment.

In addition to commenting online, residents and I-70 travelers are invited to a July 25 public meeting in Idaho Springs to get an informational update from CDOT experts and to offer comments in person. The meeting is from 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. at the Clear Creek County School District Office, 320 State Highway 103.

The Twin Tunnel improvements are the first step in a far-reaching plan to ease congestion and improve safety along the I-70 corridor. With limited funds, CDOT is looking to make changes where they’ll do the most good. The improvements could be done in time for the 2013-2014 ski season. (more…)

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Welcome to Summit County’s open-air dump

Posted on July 16, 2012 by Bob Berwyn

I-70 rest stop needs some TLC

This garbage was neatly bagged and placed deliberately on the sidewalk at the westbound I-70 scenic overlook, probably in hopes that someone else would pick it up — which I did. The contents were typical travel fare: Kids’s juice boxes, fast-food wrappers and so on.

By Bob Berwyn

SUMMIT COUNTY — After an early morning trek along Straight Creek with some volunteers monitoring forest regeneration, I drove back to Frisco via I-70 to avoid the cyclists on the Dam Road. Almost every time I go this way, I make a short stop at the I-70 scenic overlook, just because it offers such a stunning view of the county.

Most locals probably don’t stop there very often, if at all. After all, why would you stop in the middle of a short three mile commute between Frisco and Dillon, unless you’re a photography freak like me?

But I know that, for many visitors and passers-through, this spot is the very first stop they make in the county and we all know about first impressions. So it’s a mystery to me why there is still no garbage receptacle at the rest area — and it’s a mystery to many of the travelers I’ve spoken with there over the years.

I wrote a story about this for the Summit Daily back in 1996 or 1997 early in my stint as an earnest cub reporter, reporting that nobody — not the county, nor CDOT or any of the local towns — wanted to take on the burden of maintaining a trash facility at this spot. It’s Summit County’s little Bermuda Triangle of trash, and it’s  kind of sad to see that nothing has changed in all those years. (more…)

Filed under: Colorado, Environment, Summit County Colorado, Summit County news | Tagged: , , , , , | 1 Comment »

Colorado: Lane closures and delays along I-70, as CDOT improves traffic signage, plans for new Twin Tunnels bore

Posted on June 5, 2012 by Bob Berwyn

New info signs going up; inspections and survey work at the Twin Tunnels

Eastbound I-70 travelers will some lane closures and delays between Silverthorne and Idaho Springs the next few weeks.

By Summit Voice

SUMMIT COUNTY — It could be tough going on and off for eastbound travelers on I-70 between Silverthorne and Denver this week, as the Colorado Department of Transportation adds electronic traffic information signs and works on the eastbound bore of the Twin Tunnels, near Idaho Springs.

The inspection and survey work in the tunnel is in preparation for a major project next year that would add a third lane at the highway chokepoint. One lane of I-70 will remain closed through June 8. CDOT expects the lane closure to be lifted by 10 a.m. and drivers should anticipate delays approaching the tunnel, especially during daytime hours. Traffic stops may also take place during night hours. (more…)

Filed under: Colorado, I-70, Summit County Colorado, Summit County news, transportation | Tagged: , , , , , , , | Leave a Comment »

Colorado: Haz-mat spill closes I-70 in Summit County

Posted on May 30, 2012 by Bob Berwyn

I-70 between Frisco and Silverthorne closed due to haz-mat spill.

Westbound lane reopens; cleanup under way along eastbound lane 

By Summit Voice

SUMMIT COUNTY — Interstate 70 through Summit County closed in both directions Wednesday morning after a truck spilled a load of about 400 pounds of hydrated lime.

The highway is closed eastbound between Frisco and Silverthorne with detour routes along the Dillon Dam Road or over Swan Mountain Road. Officials estimated the closure could last four to eight hours.

The material is used in construction and soil stabilization, among other things, according to Lake Dillon Fire-Rescue spokesman Steve Lipsher. A local haz-mat crew is at the scene cleaning up the spill and a Colorado State Patrol haz-mat unit has also been alerted, Lipsher said.

The substance isn’t considered a huge public health threat but cleanup crews are wearing full haz-mat gear while they sweep up the powdered material. A main goal is to make sure that none of the substances washes off the road and into local waterways with any subsequent rainstorms, Lipsher said.

The spill doesn’t pose a serious threat to surrounding communities, but Lipsher said it’s not something you want to breathe in or get on your skin.

Filed under: Colorado, Environment, Summit County Colorado, Summit County news | Tagged: , , , | 2 Comments »

Colorado: I-70 surveys show growth of car-pooling

Posted on May 8, 2012 by Bob Berwyn

In-depth info could help corridor stakeholders plan new ways to reduce congestion along the busy mountain corridor

Many Colorado skiers say they’d be willing to pay a toll for an extra lane on part of I-70.

By Bob Berwyn

SUMMIT COUNTY — A mid-winter survey of skiers and snowboarders at the three Dinosaur parking lots in Morrison has yielded a “goldmine of information” for resorts and stakeholders along the I-70 corridor, with detailed data on car-pooling patterns, which people might be induced to ride public transit to resorts and whether skiers and snowboarders might be willing to pay a toll for an extra lane of traffic on the busy corridor.

More data came from automated traffic counters at the entrance of the Woolly Mammoth lot and from a series of questions posed to the RRC Associates Colorado Snowsports Enthusiasts Panel.

Overall, carpooling from the Dinosaur lot leads to a 60 percent reduction in the number of vehicles, with one carpool vehicle leaving the lot for every 2.4 vehicles that enters. Most cars entering the lot were solo drivers; by contrast, each car leaving the lot had, on average, 3.3 people aboard. (more…)

Filed under: Colorado, I-70, Summit County news, transportation | Tagged: , , , , , , | 3 Comments »

Colorado: Private investment sought for I-70

Posted on March 10, 2012 by Bob Berwyn

CDOT to launch formal bid process next week

CDOT will ask private companies what they can bring to the table to invest in needed I-70 improvements.

By Bob Berwyn

SUMMIT COUNTY — A semi-secret and unsolicited proposal for I-70 improvements from a private company is garnering more attention these days, as state, local and federal officials come to grips with the fact that there just isn’t going to be much public money available for critical infrastructure investment.

At a meeting Friday (March 9) in Summit County, a collaborative I-70 planning group heard a few more details on a possible public-private partnership, and Colorado Department of Transportation officials said they will pursue the approach in a two-phase process, first by issuing a request for statements of interest, then following up with a more formal request for proposals.

At this point, the state transportation agency already has one such proposal in hand, which includes “a list of improvements that could generate enough revenue to the point that you could bond against it,” CDOT region 1 director Tony DeVito said after the meeting. (more…)

Filed under: business, Colorado, economy, I-70, Summit County Colorado, Summit County news, transportation | Tagged: , , , , | 1 Comment »

Colorado: I-70 pace-car program gets another test

Posted on February 25, 2012 by Bob Berwyn

CDOT says ‘rolling speed harmonization’ helps reduce accidents that can result in serious traffic backups

I-70 has become a test area for a large-scale attempt to manage traffic congestion by pacing cars.

By Summit Voice

SUMMIT COUNTY — The Colorado Department of Transportation continues to fine-tune a pace car program on I-70 with the goal of smoothing the Denver-bound flow of traffic during the peak skier-return time on Sunday afternoon.

Under the program, formally called rolling speed harmonization, police vehicles lead columns of cars from just west of the Eisenhower Tunnel to the bottom of Floyd Hill, trying to maintain speeds between 35 and 55 mph. (more…)

Filed under: Colorado, I-70, Summit County Colorado, transportation | Tagged: , , , , | 2 Comments »

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