YOUR AD HERE »

FINAL UPDATE: ‘Serious multi-vehicle crash’ on I-70 near Georgetown shut down eastbound traffic to Denver Tuesday

A traffic camera shows vehicles backing up in standstill traffic on eastbound Interstate 70 around 1:30 p.m. on Tuesday, Dec. 31, New Year's Eve. The highway was closed following a "serious multi-vehicle crash," according to CoTrip.org.
Colorado Department of Transportation/Courtesy photo

Roughly nine vehicles crashed on Interstate 70 on the steep descent into Georgetown, causing a three-hour closure of the eastbound lanes on Tuesday, Dec. 31.

Officials with the Colorado Department of Transportation said the “serious” crash occurred around 12:45 p.m. and lasted until about 3:45 p.m. The Clear Creek Sheriff’s Office said multiple people were transported to a hospital with minor, non-life-threatening injuries, according to a tweet posted to X, formerly known as Twitter. 

The eastbound lane closure began at Exit 205 near Dillon and ended near Georgetown. Traffic cameras show standstill traffic backing up all the way from mile marker 227 near Georgetown to mile marker 222 near Bakerville, as of 1:40 p.m.



Traffic from I-70 was routed to U.S. Highway 40 via Colorado Highway 9 north and to U.S. Highway 285 via Colorado Highway 9 south over Hoosier Pass.

One of the vehicles involved in the crash was a semitractor-trailer hauling other vehicles, but the vehicles it was hauling are not included in the count of total vehicles involved, according to Colorado State Patrol.



A medical incident in the standstill traffic on I-70 eastbound briefly closed the leftmost lane of Interstate 70 westbound.

The cause of the crash is still under investigation, according to Colorado State Patrol.

3:05 p.m.: Eastbound lanes of Interstate 70 reopened, according to CoTrip.org.

2:45 p.m.: The westbound lanes of Interstate 70 have reopened following the medical emergency.

2:30 p.m.: The Clear Creek Sheriff’s Office says the leftmost lane of westbound Interstate 70 is now closed following a “medical emergency” that occurred in the standstill traffic during the full eastbound closure of the interstate, according to a post on X, formerly known as Twitter, around 2:20 p.m.

2:20 p.m.: Colorado State Patrol says preliminary reports show nine vehicles were involved in the multi-vehicle crash that shut down Interstate 70 eastbound near Georgetown, according to a statement released to the media.

One of the vehicles involved in the crash was a semitractor-trailer hauling other vehicles, but the vehicles it was hauling are not included in the count of total vehicles involved, according to Colorado State Patrol.

“While tow trucks have been dispatched to the scene, there is currently no estimated time of re-opening,” the statement says.

2 p.m.: The Clear Creek Sheriff’s Office said multiple people have been transported to a hospital with minor, non-life-threatening injuries, according to a tweet posted to X, formerly known as Twitter. 

“This is not a fatal accident,” the Clear Creek Sheriff’s Office post stated. 

There is still no timeline for reopening the roadway, according to CoTrip.org. 

1:30 p.m.: The eastbound lanes of Interstate 70 are closed following a “serious multi-vehicle crash” near Georgetown, according to an alert posted to CoTrip.org around 1:30 p.m. on Tuesday, Dec. 31.

The closure begins at Exit 205 near Dillon and Silverthorne. Traffic cameras show standstill traffic backing up all the way from mile marker 227 near Georgetown to mile marker 222 near Bakerville, as of 1:40 p.m.

CoTrip.org says, “There is no estimated time to reopen.”

A multi-vehicle crash is pictured in a traffic camera on Interstate 70 near Georgetown on Tuesday, Dec. 31, 2024.
Colorado Department of Transportation/Courtesy photo

Loveland Pass was also closed eastbound as crews work on the scene. Alternative routes include Colorado Highway 9 southbound over Hoosier Pass to U.S. Highway 285 or Colorado Highway 9 north to Silverthorne and up to U.S. Highway 40 over Berthoud Pass.

For traffic alerts, conditions and updates, visit CoTrip.org.


Support Local Journalism

Support Local Journalism

As a Summit Daily News reader, you make our work possible.

Summit Daily is embarking on a multiyear project to digitize its archives going back to 1989 and make them available to the public in partnership with the Colorado Historic Newspapers Collection. The full project is expected to cost about $165,000. All donations made in 2023 will go directly toward this project.

Every contribution, no matter the size, will make a difference.