Colorado Department of Transportation prepares for winter driving conditions

The Colorado Department of Transportation is preparing for winter driving conditions to keep drivers safe on the road. The agency said more than 200 maintenance patrols have been spread throughout the state to get ready for the season. 

CDOT said they have 900 snowplows and more than 1200 crews ready to hit the roads throughout the state. 

On Wednesday, CDOT highlighted technology to track road and weather conditions as well as the COTrip app and website to help drivers navigate real-time conditions. 

"The holidays are one of the busiest times of year for CDOT maintainers, who are ready to deploy in full force even as many others get to enjoy time off," said CDOT Executive Director Shoshana Lew in a statement. "Our teams are staffed up and ready to surge, and we ask drivers to respect their workplace and help them stay safe and do their jobs effectively during the busy season. Even if you're rushing to get to your holiday destination, please take the time to prepare for winter conditions and drive carefully when you see our colleagues working their hardest to keep the roads open and safe."

CDOT reminded drivers that holiday travel brings more vehicles to Colorado, increasing the risk of extended delays and crashes if motorists don't comply with winter driving practices, especially on the I-70 mountain corridor. According to CDOT, last December 1,068,736 motorists traveled through the Eisenhower and Johnson Memorial Tunnels, with an average of 34,475 daily. CDOT said Traction Law violations caused more than 208 hours of delays and nearly 60 traffic incidents last December alone.

"Not only are we at plows, we're communicating what it's doing out there what the highways are doing and highlighting safe travels," said CDOT Director of Operations Bob Fifer. 

CDOT also said its job vacancy rate is down from previous years, which means they have more crews on the road. 

Additional Information from the Colorado Department of Transportation:

The free COtrip Planner mobile app was designed to meet the growing trend of information on mobile and tablet devices for the traveling public. The COtrip Planner app provides statewide, real-time traffic information, and works on mobile devices that operate on the iOS and Android platforms. Visit the Google Play Store (Android devices) or the Apple Store (iOS devices) to download!