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I 70 sucks
That is a really hard question to answer. What time for each?
Bear in mind all the comments about trucks. Trucks and weather are two big factors that don't care what day it is.
Driving out of Denver at 11:00a Sun, driving back to Denver the follow Sat around 11a
You should be OK.
So it’s a multi-compound problem. If we said 45 mph, that still forces all passenger car traffic to pass, and in passing everything slows down.
Imagine taking a regular inter state with commuter levels of traffic, make it 2 lanes, and then have CMV in the right lane driving 35 mph and then passing other CMV at 36 mph, or getting caught and not being able to pull grade to pass, so they just sit side by side in a blockade.
That’s I-70.
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Agreed with a multiple problem. The biggest problem is of course the unprofessional individual behind the wheel. CMV lane restrictions would help elevate some of the congestion. Lets face it, CMV transportation of products is a necessity that creates more problems because of our designs.
I’m sorry to hear that I-70 is now dealing with this problem. It is a problem now in many areas, especially in regions where there’s no room to add more lanes. I’m assuming you guys now have more warehouses in Commerce City or environs. It’s a serious issue here in eastern PA, but we don’t have the steep grades/tourists/skier traffic that you all have that slow trucks down even more.
That's conditional, based on weather. A storm on either day throws that out the window, obviously.
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This is seemingly becoming more difficult to answer. It *should* be a perfectly easy drive at those times BUT ... things to consider below
This past Sat may have been the busiest MLK weekend Sat ever. At it's peak worst point the drive from Silverthorne was 63 minutes. Yep, 63 minutes. There was an absolute struggle to park at Copper. The free parking was full from the far east lot all the way back past the Conoco station, past the treatment plant to the very end of that road. Then they started parking along the side of the main road into Copper where they could. All the way thru. Yep!. Instead of using the stop signs there were people directing traffic on the main road. Crazy.
No special events. No musical headliners. Nothing going on at all.
Again, under normal conditions I would say those will be trouble free times but who knows.
A good recession will help with both traffic and parking. There's enormous excess marginal demand for trucking products and skier visits due to too much money chasing too few goods.
Thank you for making me feel better about choosing not to make the drive!
Left NW Denver at 10:10. Front row parking at 11. Booted up (wife realized she forgot her shell so stole mine), skied first lap at 11:15. 30min lunch and burgers on a sunny deck at 1:00. Skied until 3. Home by 4:30.
Sometimes I70 doesn't suck. You just have to play it's game.
Sometimes I70 doesn't suck. You just have to play it's game.
Wow, I for one am absolutely floored. I figured the return traffic today would be insane.
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- Dec 17, 2015
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Conditions look favorable with a light breeze.
I think holiday evenings scare off some people...many families staying up an additional day, or coming back early. Honestly knew it was going to be a crapshoot. Van had supplies if we decided just to go down to summit for beers, make dinner and the van and drive home in the AM. But beyond minor slowdowns above georgetown it was fine.
Truer words ... Of course, you drive it a lot more often than many, so you can kind of figure out patterns.
Yet -- a couple weeks ago, I had multiple friends delay returning after The Big Week from Sunday to Monday, but Monday ended up being the bad day.
Yep, I'll be the first to admit I'm in a pretty damn privileged position re:I70.
No kids. An understanding wife. A dog that likes to hang in the van or can be home for 10hrs. A neighbor who can let the pup out if we're late. A minivan we can sleep in. Breweries that know me and let me sleep off a final round in their lot. A job that doesn't have an office and appreciates me being on snow regularly.
Perhaps most importantly, a natural disposition for getting up at 5am.
Of course..I could do without a lot of those things if I had a residence in the mtns.
Yeah, when I lived in Front Range, I had a ton of flexibility, too (but not the 5 am gene). It is the only way to do it without making yourself crazy, I think.
Being IN the mountains is different, to be sure. Usually easier as far as ski trips, but the issues can be interesting. Wildfires and/or 500-yr rains leading to extended closures of routes in and out, you know, the usual. But at least I can always ski somewhere (even that time I was stuck in my neighborhood due to ice...).
I’ve learned over the years that I 70 doesn’t have to be a PIA. Mostly I drive up Monday late morning/early afternoon and return before 3 p.m. Wednesday. I 25, however, can choke on a goat.
My wife and I were at Ginny Lee Cabin for a quick restroom stop around 11. Coolest deck around.
Hopefully you dodged the closure on 70 later in the day, we got caught in it and had to reroute.