Although the summer travel season begins tomorrow, the Colorado Department of Transportation is anticipating lower than normal traffic numbers this Memorial Day weekend due, in part, to Safer at Home directives in many areas of the state.
The Interstate 70 Corridor west of Denver also is expected to see less traffic over the four-day weekend. In 2019, 159,201 vehicles traveled through the Eisenhower/Johnson Memorial Tunnels for the holiday.
“With the warmer weather upon us, this might be a tempting weekend to head to the mountains or to travel farther than usual from home,” said CDOT Executive Director Shoshana Lew. “But this year is unique. We’re encouraging people to please follow public health orders, recreate responsibly and do their part to keep each other safe.”
Although traffic is expected to be lighter than usual this weekend, all CDOT construction and maintenance projects will be suspended by noon Friday and not resume their regular schedule until Tuesday, May 26. The only exception is for emergency operations.
In addition, a number of seasonal roadways normally open by Memorial Day will have delayed openings this year. Listed dates or time frames are subject to change:
State Highway 5 – Mount Evans. Early July.
State Highway 82 – Independence Pass between Twin Lakes and Aspen. June 1.
Trail Ridge Road between Estes Park and Grand Lake (Rocky Mountain National Park). Date to be determined.
Guanella Pass between Georgetown and Grant. Date to be determined.
Kebler Pass between Crested Butte and the Paonia area. Thursday, May 21.
Cottonwood Pass between Buena Vista and Gunnison County. Monday, June 1.
For the current status of the seasonal roads above, please check the cotrip.org website or call 511.