Got snow? CDOT shows off major road clearing effort after eastern Colorado blizzard

A blizzard that walloped portions of eastern and southern Colorado earlier this week caused major headaches for road crews on the Eastern Plains, and state transportation officials are now showing some of the results of their snow clearing efforts.

Both Interstate 70 and Interstate 76 were closed for parts of Tuesday and Wednesday in the eastern part of the state due to the wintry conditions that came with the blizzard, which also affected several other states including Colorado's neighbors to the east Kansas and Nebraska. Smaller highways were also affected, and it has taken a lot of work to get them safe for drivers again.

On Friday the Colorado Department of Transportation shared photos of heavy equipment that was brought in by their teams to clear snow. They wrote on Facebook "Our crews have been working 24/7 this week to get the roads open on the Eastern Plains. Take a look at U.S. 385 after heavy snowstorms and high winds blew powder onto the roads! Luckily, our crews got out there and took care of it. Thank you for your hard work and dedication to the safety of drivers across Colorado!"

CDOT's photos show massive mounds of snow next to Highway 385, which runs north and south and parallels Colorado's eastern border. It passes through the town of Burlington, which was reporting 10 inches of snow at one point during the storm, according to First Alert Meteorologist Dave Aguilera, and may have gotten even more by the time it was all over.

Aguilera reported that a blizzard warning is posted not necessarily for the depth of snow an area gets but more for the threats posed by strong wind and visibility that comes with a powerful winter storm system.