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4h ago

I-70 Reopens Near Eisenhower Tunnel After Icy Crashes as 3-Mile Backup Lingers

Loveland Pass detour cleared after a semi blocked U.S. 6.

LOVELAND, CO - AUGUST 9: Cars and trucks pass though the tunnel in one lane during work inside the Eisenhower tunnel for the Eisenhower Johnson Memorial Tunnels infrastructure repair project on August 9, 2022 in Loveland, Colorado. This project will replace and repair grout beds that support the interior wall panels in the north tunnel (Eisenhower) and will address and repair damaged wall panels and steel hangar issues throughout the north tunnel (Eisenhower). Steel hangars are brackets at the top of wall panels that keep them from falling forward. The wall panels have shifted from ice buildup behind them, so these wall panels & hangars need to be inspected and replaced if they are damaged from the movement. The Eisenhower Johnson Memorial Tunnels (EJMT), about 60 miles west of Denver on Interstate 70, is the highest paved vehicular tunnel in the worldÑat an elevation of 11,013 feet at the East Portal and 11,158 feet at the West Portal. The tunnels are just over 1.5 miles long and at peak travel times carry as many as 3,500 vehicles per hour (VPH) in one direction of travel alone. I-70 is a critical corridor for moving goods and services such as medical supplies, food, and other essential items and as such, EJMT is a vital piece of infrastructure to keep I-70 traffic moving safely and efficiently. Opened in 1973 (Eisenhower Tunnel Bore) and 1979 (Johnson Tunnel Bore), EJMT is faced with outdated and aging infrastructure which CDOT will begin repairing through a variety of construction projects starting in the summer of 2022 and into the next several years. These projects are part of CDOTÕs 10-Year Plan, with funding made possible through Senate Bill 260 and the Bridge & Tunnel Enterprise. The repairs are scheduled to be finished by November 2022 with a cost of $2 million. Overnight Lange closures are expected Sunday through Thursday nights between 7 p.m. and 6 a.m with possible full tunnel closures 11 p.z. to 5 a.m in the fall of 2022. No weekend work is anticipated. The improvements will enhance safety for the traveling public, upgrade connectivity to the rest of the freight network in the United States, and boost economic vitality along the only contiguous east/west interstate in Colorado.(Photo by Helen H. Richardson/The Denver Post)
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Overview

  • Early Monday, icy roads west of Denver prompted a full shutdown of westbound I-70 near the Eisenhower Tunnel after several crashes.
  • At 7:10 a.m., the Clear Creek County Sheriff’s Office reported the lanes had reopened but traffic was slow with roughly a 3-mile backup.
  • Loveland Pass was briefly blocked in both directions by a semi on U.S. 6, which the sheriff’s office said was cleared around 7:10 a.m.
  • The sheriff’s office noted multiple crashes west of Georgetown tied to slick conditions in the corridor.
  • In a separate incident in Denver, police reported a 4:15 a.m. rollover at the I-25 off-ramp to Auraria Parkway that caused an oil spill with no serious injuries.