Winter storm snarls traffic, knocks out power

DENVER — A powerful storm system tied up rush-hour traffic with snow and rain and triggered rockslides along a foothills highway Monday after dumping up to 20 inches of snow in the mountains.



Electricity was restored to about 2,000 customers in Breckenridge after at least 18 inches of snow blanketed the city and triggered a power failure the day before. Some travelers were stranded along Interstate 70, the main east-west route through the mountains.

Another power failure in the Denver area forced three schools to cancel classes Monday. Other schools closed or opened late because of road conditions.

Steady rain sent two rock slides tumbling onto Colorado 119 in Boulder Canyon northwest of Denver, forcing the closure of one lane and damaging a car. No one was hurt.

The slow-moving system was expected to park over much of the state through Tuesday.

Westbound Interstate 70 between Copper Mountain and Vail Pass was closed for 2 1/2 hours late Sunday after multiple accidents, prompting the American Red Cross to open a shelter for stranded travelers in Silverthorne.

Earlier Sunday, traffic crawled on eastbound I-70 approaching the Eisenhower Tunnel as several tractor-trailers jackknifed.

A fire broke out near Keystone after the heavy, wet snow helped bring down a power line but it was quickly put out. Tree limbs and winds downed other lines in the mountains, causing sporadic outages, Henley said.

The telephones were ringing at Gourmet Cabby in Breckenridge as people ordered restaurant meals to be delivered to their homes instead of venturing outside. But, with snow piling up and few snow plows visible, Brook Moniger said she had to turn away about a third of the callers because they were either too far out of town or up steep hills.

Since the ski season hasn’t started yet, the company only has two drivers now and neither has four-wheel drive.

“During the winter we rarely turn away calls because then the town is more prepared for it,” she said of the snow.

In southwestern Colorado, rain is believed to have triggered two rock slides in San Miguel County, including one that shut down one lane of Colorado 145, near Telluride. No injuries were reported, sheriff’s officials said.

A steady rain fell in Denver much of the day, soaking Broncos fans watching Denver play the Washington Redskins.

The weather led the state transportation department to close Trail Ridge Road through Rocky Mountain National Park, and chains were required on commercial vehicles at Loveland Pass, Vail Pass and the Eisenhower Tunnel.





Summit Daily News, Summit County, Colorado