Mudslides Close Loveland Pass Leaving Hazmat Vehicles Running Behind Schedule

(CBS4) - A mudslide near Arapahoe Basin Ski Resort shut down Loveland Pass for much of Saturday morning. The closure was still in place at noon, the Colorado Department of Transportation says.

Drivers were told to use Interstate 70 through the Eisenhower Tunnel as an alternative.

CBS4 spoke with a truck driver who says he tried delivering a load of fuel to a gas station in Avon when he encountered one of two closures on Loveland Pass. On his way back to Denver, Chris Cleveland says the pass had just reopened when crews closed it again for a second mudslide.

He says he drove back to Dillon to get on I-70. Because of precautions, hazmat vehicles, like Cleveland's fuel truck, have to wait to travel through the Eisenhower Tunnel until the top of the hour.

Cleveland says that time adds up on an already-stressed group of drivers in the midst of a driver shortage, and in turn, can lead to fuel shortages at gas stations.

CDOT updated the situation at around 3:30 p.m. on Saturday saying because of the amount of debris and mud, they don't expect to reopen Loveland Pass until Sunday night.

In:
• Summit County News
• I-70
• Interstate 70