The Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT) is advising drivers to plan for increased traffic and possible winter weather as the Thanksgiving holiday approaches. CDOT expects more vehicles on the roads over the next several days due to holiday travel and shopping. The agency notes that weather conditions can change quickly, especially at higher elevations, and encourages motorists to be prepared.
To help reduce congestion, CDOT will suspend daily lane closures on state construction and maintenance projects by midday Wednesday, Nov. 26. Only emergency operations will be exempt from this pause. Construction activities are scheduled to resume on Monday, Dec. 1.
Traffic along the I-70 Mountain Corridor is projected to rise starting Wednesday morning around 8 a.m., with peak travel periods expected from Friday through Sunday between 8 a.m. and 6 p.m.
For those seeking alternatives to driving in heavy traffic, CDOT highlights its Bustang, Snowstang, and Pegasus services as options for reaching major Front Range cities, mountain resorts, and destinations along I-70. These transit options aim to ease congestion and parking issues during busy holiday periods. More information is available at ridebustang.com.
According to CDOT data from 2024, vehicle counts at the Eisenhower/Johnson Memorial Tunnels during Thanksgiving weekend were lower than other fall and winter holidays:
– Wednesday: 31,053 vehicles
– Thursday: 31,182 vehicles
– Friday: 40,555 vehicles
– Saturday: 44,269 vehicles
– Sunday: 43,159 vehicles
This brought the total number of vehicles passing through the tunnels over Thanksgiving weekend to just over 190,000.
In preparation for winter ski season travel on I-70’s mountain stretches, CDOT has introduced a new online hub dedicated to providing shuttle information, real-time road updates, live cameras along the corridor, safety tips and relevant laws. This resource combines features from COtrip.org and the COtrip Planner app into one site aimed at helping travelers navigate mountain roads safely.
“Remember: the road is different here, and your travel plans should be too. The I-70 Mountain Corridor is a mountain road — motorists need to be mountain ready,” CDOT stated.
