The Colorado Department of Transportation is preemptively closing Interstate 70 through Glenwood Canyon as a result of a flash flood warning issued for the Grizzly Creek Fire burn scar. 

The National Weather Service announced the warning at 3:15 p.m. on Tuesday and is in effect until 5 p.m. Drivers are now expected to take Exit 205 in Silverthorne to U.S. Highway 40 for the northern alternate route. The northern alternate route will take approximately 2.5 hours of additional travel time to reach destinations, compared to traveling on I-70 through Glenwood Canyon. Westbound motorists from the Denver metro area can reach the northern route via U.S. Highway 40, Colorado Highway 9 or Colorado Highway 131.

For eastbound motorists, a traffic control point is in place at eastbound West Rifle at Exit 87 to guide motorists to the northern alternate route. Motorists continue to have access to Glenwood Springs and the Roaring Fork Valley.

In June, CDOT closed the Canyon twice. One closure lasted about an hour and a half, while another extended for approximately six hours.