GOLDEN — Interstate 70 through the Colorado mountains will get a lot of special attention this winter, including a chance for more federal funding, stricter chain and traction law enforcement and a tolled express lane slated to open Dec. 12.
Colorado Department of Transportation’s start to the state’s winter driving campaign includes stricter enforcement of the traction and passenger vehicle chain law.
“We spent last year educating the public about the need for good tires and they listened, with more than 70 percent saying they checked their tires before traveling in the I-70 corridor,” CDOT spokeswoman Amy Ford said. “Drivers should expect every time they see a chain law required for truckers that the traction law will be required for passenger vehicles.”
Under the traction law, motorists have to have either snow tires, tires with the mud/snow designation or a four-wheel drive vehicle. Tires must also have a minimum one-eighth inch tread.
The passenger vehicle chain law requires every vehicle on the road when the chain law is in effect to have chains or an alternative traction device. The chain law is usually the last safety measure implemented before a highway is closed.
When either of these laws is in effect, motorists can be fined more than $130 for not having proper equipment or more than $650 if they block the roadway.
Colorado State Patrol will not be proactively checking for proper equipment, Ford said, but instead will have the option of issuing a ticket when they respond to an incident.
The 13-mile toll lane will run between Empire and Idaho Springs and operate during peak travel times, about 72 days a year, to loosen traffic along the notoriously crowded I-70 corridor.
“It should be a major help as we enter the winter driving season,” Ford said.
The toll lane should save motorists about 30 minutes of traffic time, say state highway officials. But depending on congestion, drivers without an electronic toll pass could pay as much as $40 to drive the toll lane.
Also on Thursday, I-70 from Denver to Salt Lake City was designated a high-priority corridor under an amendment authored by U.S. Rep. Jared Polis as part of the multi-year federal transportation bill that funds the country’s roads, bridges and highways.
The transportation measure passed the House of Representatives and now heads for the Senate.
The designation means I-70 would be eligible for certain federal funding streams to help with maintenance and improvements on the highway, Polis said Thursday.
“Anyone who has sat in traffic on a Sunday afternoon on I-70 east knows that highway is in need of major improvements,” Polis said in a news release. “This designation will give expansion and maintenance projects along I-70 broader, more competitive access to federal funds.”
Monte Whaley: 720-929-0907, mwhaley@denverpost.com or @montewhaley
