1 day Ago By Aspen Daily News Staff Report
A commercial semi-truck crashed on I-70 about six miles east of Glenwood Springs at approximately 9:30 a.m. As of 3 p.
m., a closure remains in place for eastbound traffic. The state highway department says it did not go through with a planned closure of the eastbound lanes of Interstate 70 through Glenwood Canyon on Wednesday to perform repairs and maintenance following a Tuesday semi-track crash but that it will do so today at 11 a.
m. CDOT said eastbound traffic will be allowed to proceed this morning before 11 a.m.
Following that, the highway will close for an undetermined amount of time. "The midday closure will allow for early morning commuters to travel through the canyon. Today's eastbound closure is expected to last several hours," a news release from CDOT says.
Both eastbound lanes of the I-70 corridor in Glenwood Canyon were closed at 9:30 a.m. Tuesday due to the accident.
At some point late Tuesday or early Wednesday, one of the eastbound lanes was reopened, allowing traffic to proceed. Throughout the day Tuesday, numerous motorists exited I-70 at Glenwood Springs and took State Highway 82 to Aspen in order to access Independence Pass as a way to get to the Front Range. There were reports of an oversized vehicle getting stuck on the pass late Tuesday, adding to further traffic congestion in the area.
No Pitkin Alerts related to the matter have been issued. CDOT has offered the following recommendation for when Glenwood Canyon is closed: The “northern alternate route” can be accessed in Rifle, at exit 87, then north along State Highway 13 to Craig. The route continues on U.
S. 40 to Steamboat Springs, then south on State Highway 9 to Silverthorne where travelers may access I-70 again. (Visit COtrip.
org for route details and closure updates.) I-70 westbound traffic has allowed through the crash area just east of Glenwood Springs. CDOT and the Colorado State Patrol urged drivers to slow down and abide by the speed reduction being enforced in the area, the release states.
The closure was due to a commercial semi-truck crash about six miles east of Glenwood Springs on Tuesday morning, the release says. The tractor-trailer was traveling in the westbound lanes of I-70 when it crashed through the guardrail and landed on the eastbound lanes of the lower deck, the release adds. As of early evening Tuesday, the canyon's eastbound lanes remained closed.
Later in the night, however, CDOT's website indicated that one of the eastbound lanes in Glenwood Canyon had reopened..
