The Colorado Department of Transportation on Monday closed several roads or warned of travel delays because of increased avalanche danger and dangerous winter weather conditions.
Access has been limited or delayed on the following roads:
• An accident has blocked all lanes on C-470 south of Interstate 70 because of an accident.
• U.S. Highway 50 Westbound has re-opened near Lamar at mile marker 405 after an accident. Lanes are still blocked, and crews are directing traffic. Delays are expected.
• CDOT has completed avalanche mitigation work at Lizard Head Pass on Colorado 145.
• Delays are expected at Colorado 17’s Cumbres-La Manga passes, where CDOT has begun avalanche mitigation work.
• Interstate 25 near Monument Hill re-opened after a jack-knifed semi-truck blocked traffic for a few hours.
• I-70 is reopen from Georgetown to the Eisenhower Tunnel after an accident blocked traffic earlier Monday.
• I-70 is experiencing 20-minute delays in both directions near the Eisenhower Tunnel.
• Both northbound and southbound lanes of Colorado 65 have been closed.
• U.S. 6 at Loveland Pass was closed Sunday night because of avalanche danger.
• U.S. 40 at Berthoud Pass is experiencing 20-minute delays in both directions.
• U.S. 550 over Red Mountain Pass was closed Monday morning.
CDOT announced that severe winter traveling conditions mean traction laws apply on many roads throughout Colorado’s high country.
During the storm, passenger cars must have snow tires, four-wheel drive or chains, including drivers headed eastbound on I-70 between Vail and Silverthorne.
An avalanche warning is in effect for the high country around Aspen, the Grand Mesa and all of the southwestern Colorado mountains until 3 p.m. on Tuesday.
Elsewhere, the Colorado Avalanche Information Center has issued a special avalanche advisory until noon. The alert includes the Front Range and popular backcountry terrain near Vail and in Summit County.
“Avoid being on or below any avalanche terrain (Monday),” the center said. “That includes slopes accessed by leaving ski area boundaries, even if you can glide back in to the lifts. These slopes are backcountry slopes with very dangerous avalanche conditions. A slide doesn’t have to be very wide to be deadly, particularly above terrain traps like gullies or thick trees.”
The weekend snowfall prompted big crowds at Colorado’s ski areas on Sunday.
Many went to the mountains to enjoy the first big snow day in weeks.
The high number of visitors, combined with adverse weather and road conditions, led to hours-long delays on I-70 between Vail and Denver.
Kirk Mitchell: 303-954-1206, kmitchell@denverpost.com or @kirkmitchell or denverpost.com/coldcases
Staff writer Jesse Paul contributed to this report.
