Several Vehicle Slide-Offs Cause Shutdown At Vail Pass On I-70 Westbound
VAIL, Colo. (CBS4) -- The road was closed on Interstate 70 westbound at Vail Pass in Summit County due to safety concerns Wednesday morning. According to Colorado State Patrol, several vehicle slide-offs occurred starting at 6:30 a.m. The interstate was back open to normal traffic jut before 10 a.m.
According to CDOT, the road was completely shut down at I-70 mile marker 190 west of Copper Mountain as of 9:45 a.m. This was causing a delay on the interstate.
The interstate is back open westbound. Be aware that there may still be some icy spots where the snow melt was running across the roadway yesterday is still frozen this morning. It's not summer yet. Slow for corners where water/ice may be going across the roadway.
— CSP Eagle (@CSP_Eagle) April 20, 2022
CBS4 spoke to CSP Trooper Gary Cutler, who told us it had been, "a little chaotic," responding to the different crash scenes to begin the day. The closure went into effect at Vail Pass to ensure safety and allow for the response to the different crash scenes, all believed to be single-vehicle slide-offs.
Tow trucks and snow plows were responding to each crash.
There were reports of injuries in at least on the the crashes, but nothing life threatening, Cutler told CBS4.
West of the closure, there was also a response to a crash just west of Vail near the Vail I-70 exit, where a left lane was closed at the scene. This also impacted traffic in the area. A guardrail repair was also needed, according to CDOT.
Drivers were advised to avoid the area if possible.