Albeit, the holiday crowds and weather conspired to make travel on Interstate 70 the nightmare that it recently has been. This major artery from Denver to Summit and Eagle counties has become something of a crap-shoot. Timing one’s journey in either direction these days must involve the possibility of getting stuck for long periods of time. Accidents, snow plows, heavy traffic at predictably given times and recent snowstorms that attract the hoards to the slopes have complicated and exacerbated problems with the route.

It is the truly foolish who drive without the proper equipment: adequate snow tires, fully functional head and tail lights and windshield wiper blades. Add to this the now all-too-frequent possibility of full stoppage, and it is the unprepared who do attempt this interstate without food, water, blankets, flares or flashlights of some kind and a good book to read as time that you’ll never get back goes by.

Pay-as-you-go express lanes aren’t a panacea if the whole expressway is shut down. But, given the dearth of cops of one sort or another monitoring the speeds that too many drivers are employing, it is amazing that more people aren’t killed on this stretch of highway.

Colorado Department of Transportation’s cell number, 511, is a frustrating, time consuming, confusing joke. To get “real time” information, try using the apps, ‘COTrip Planner’ or ‘Waze’. Or tune into KOA at AM-850, which has fairly regular traffic reports.  

Avoiding I-70 at peak times, if at all possible, can save a lot of stress. Mitigating the worst of using this vital road system has surely become a challenge to both CDOT and us, and it isn’t going to get any better soon!