Colorado roads: Snow leads to messy conditions

DENVER — Another round of snow led to a mess on Colorado’s roads on Wednesday.

The cold front that brought an initial blast of snow Tuesday evening continued to bring snow to the Denver metro area, foothills and mountains into Wednesday.

Roads across the region were icy, snowy and slick throughout the Wednesday morning commute. The National Weather Service and Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT) urged travelers to slow down and use extra caution. 

Dozens of Colorado schools and businesses have closed or delayed their opening on Wednesday as snow piled up along the Front Range.

> See the full list of closures and delays

Eastbound Interstate 70 was closed at about 10 a.m. between E-470 and U.S. 24 due to safety concerns, according to CDOT. Eastbound lanes of the interstate between U.S. 40 and Burlington was also closed, according to CDOT. 

At about 10 a.m. U.S. Highway 36 was closed in both directions between County Road B and the Kansas state line due to safety concerns, according to CDOT.

Colorado Highway 59 was closed in both directions between 4th Street in Kit Carson and 3rd Street near Haxturn, CDOT reported.

Colorado Highway 94 was closed in both directions between mile post 35 and 86 due to safety concerns, according to CDOT.

U.S. Highway 40 was closed in both directions between mile post 382.1 to 398.7, CDOT said.

Eastbound U.S. Highway 36 was closed at 7 a.m. Wednesday at Foothills Parkway in Boulder. Colorado State Patrol confirmed a trooper was hit while responding to a semi-truck that went off the road and was partially blocking a lane of traffic. The trooper was hit while inside his vehicle and was not hurt. He was transported to the hospital, according to a CSP spokeswoman. The road reopened around 9 a.m., according to CSP.

Eastbound I-70 was closed at 7:22 a.m. Wednesday for a crash at Colorado Mills Parkway in Lakewood. At about 9:30 a.m., police reported all lanes of the interstate had reopened.

Southbound U.S. Highway 83 was closed at 7:13 a.m. Wednesday between Walden Way and Hodgen Road (Black Forest) at mile point 26.5, south of Denver. CDOT reported the road had reopened just before 10:30 a.m.

The City of Fountain was placed on accident alert status late Tuesday. 

The City of Boulder was placed on accident alert at 7:30 a.m. Wednesday.

> Denver plow tracker
> CDOT plow tracker

CDOT plow crews are in full shift and will be plowing and treating state-maintained roads throughout the storm and afterward as necessary.

Even with plowing, pretreatment and deicing, CDOT said roads are slick, particularly on bridges, overpasses and shady areas. CDOT added it’s best to avoid driving during the Wednesday commute and work from home if possible.

If you have to be out, take it slow, keep a safe distance behind the vehicle in front of you, stay well behind plows, do not pass plows and give extra time.

Denver and area counties will plow heavily traveled roads first before moving onto ones that don’t see as much traffic.

The City of Denver has 70 large plows and 36 smaller residential plows. Denver’s large plows can drop deicer down to provide traction on the streets. The small plows do not carry deicer.

Know before you go and check out COtrip.org for the latest road conditions.

The CDOT urged travelers to be aware of chain and traction law codes before heading out on the roadway:

• Code 18/Commercial Chain Law: Commercial vehicles and trucks must have chains. Vehicles without chains can often lose traction, causing traffic delays and sometimes road closures. For the safety of the traveling public, it’s critical to use chains to comply with Colorado’s chain law.
• Code 15/Passenger Traction Law: All passenger vehicles must have appropriate all-weather tires with 3/16-inch depth. Vehicles must have one of the following: winter tires, tires with mud/snow (M+S) designation, chains or alternative traction devices such as an autosock. 4WD and AWD vehicles must have winter tires or all-weather tires.
• Code 16/Passenger Chain Law: All passenger vehicles need chains, except for 4WD and AWD vehicles with all-weather tires with 3/16-inch tread depth.

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