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Monday, December 31, 2007
Update: Part of I-70 reopens
Westbound Interstate 70 was reopened about 3 p.m., said Nancy Shanks, Colorado Department of Transportation spokeswoman.
It will be several hours before the eastbound lanes of I-70 reopen, she said.
“It is going to be a phased opening,” said Mindy Crane, another CDOT spokeswoman. “What we are trying to focus on now is getting motorists out of there that were stranded or spent the night at close points.”
The highway is being reopened in phases to prevent a rush of travelers that would create a monstrous traffic jam, Crane said.
U.S. Highway 40, over Berthoud Pass, was also reopened, Shanks said.
A couple other high mountain passes remain closed:
— Both directions of U.S. 6 — Loveland Pass.
— U.S. 550 — Red Mountain Pass.
Crane said motorists not needing to travel should wait a day before braving the high country.
“If you can wait a day that’s best, otherwise, if you are looking at heading out today, just try and be patient,” she said.
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I-70 still closed
Interstate 70 remains closed this afternoon and officials said they had no immediate estimate of when the highway would reopen.
The roadways remains buffeted by sustained winds of 50 mph and gusts up to 70 mph, the Colorado Department of Transportation said.
Worse conditions exist east of the Eisenhower Tunnel., while conditions are improving towards Vail and on the west side of the Eisenhower Tunnel, but travel remains unsafe, officials said.
Weather conditions will need to greatly improve and avalanche control will need to be completed before I-70 reopens, officials said.
U.S. Highway 285 is currently open, but travel is not recommended along this route either as conditions are not much better.
Current closures:
— Westbound I-70 between Floyd Hill and Vail.
— Eastbound I-70 between Vail and Georgetown.
— Both directions of U.S. 40 — Berthoud Pass.
— Both directions of U.S. 6 — Loveland Pass.
— US 550 Red Mountain Pass.
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Silverthorne overrun by stranded drivers
Between 1,200 and 2,000 travelers stayed Sunday night at the Silverthorne Recreation Center after the Colorado State Patrol closed Interstate 70 due to harsh weather.
Christian Liles, aquatic director at the center, said the number of stranded travelers had decreased by about noon to between 400 or 500.
“Both our gymnasiums are full of people, and all the hallways and the lobby,” he said.
The American Red Cross from Dillon is supplying meals to stranded travelers, Liles said, but only 200 cots were available.
“The Red Cross has been awesome, with food and cots and volunteers,” Liles said. “Without them and our staff, we wouldn’t have been able to do it.”
Everyone in the center is warm and fed, he said, and although CDOT said the interstate may be open late this afternoon, some were settling into the town.
“They’ve been leaving steadily,” he said. “Some are going to restaurants and movies, but we still have quite a few families still here.”
Whether those families will spend a second night in Silverthorne “depends on CDOT and the weather,” Liles said.
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