OFFICIAL I70 BITCH THREAD....

[bean]

The I-70 shitshow was in full effect this evening. I miss when New Year's Day was a quiet one.

[The SnowShow]

I'm hoping tomorrow will be "quiet" relatively speaking.

[The SnowShow]

Why do I torture myself and ski on holiday long weekends?

[Soups]

Why do I torture myself and ski on holiday long weekends?

Did you get through the roadblock ok?

[The SnowShow]

The tunnel to Id Springs is a roadblock

[summit]

Weird seeing EB70 backed up Silverthorne Hill for the Silverthorne exit rather than the tunnel.

[Danno]

Big crowds heading east on 70 at Idaho springs early this evening.

[WTF is dat]

5 hours last night to drive from the beav to denver

[Rideski]

Sheriff dead on 285.
Vibes to family.
http://www.9news.com/story/weather/2...sure/21237239/

[smmokan]

5 hours last night to drive from the beav to denver

Holy fuck. It isn't even worth it anymore.

[The SnowShow]

Sheriff dead on 285.
Vibes to family.
http://www.9news.com/story/weather/2...sure/21237239/

Ugh vibes

[stevesmith7]

Today had to be the worst. At noon is was backed up on the Dillon ramp and the road eastbound appeared stopped. It's after 8 now and CDOT still shows sub-10mph speeds.

[Soups]

Thats why I avoid the tunnel at all costs.

Left WP at 4. 1hr 45 home. Other than the pass with the weather the drive wasnt bad at all. Actually it was just as bad in Denver when I got back as it was on the pass.

[ColoMike]

Today was pretty bad. Parked at Silverthorne across all lanes even with leaving pretty early. Volume was massive with a weather chaser. Looking forward to days at the Jane...

[The SnowShow]

Create a fast, viable route out of Summit/Breck to the south (9, 285) and split the volume in two. Only way I see around this mess.

[concretejungle]

If I left now would I get stuck in traffic?

[fastfred]

If I left now would I get stuck in traffic?

left where?

I can usually leave scummit between 7 and 8 am on a weekend and do 80mph the whole way down, then again on the way home it took 3 hrs to go from golden to breck right before xmas

[smmokan]

Create a fast, viable route out of Summit/Breck to the south (9, 285) and split the volume in two. Only way I see around this mess.

I totally agree, and I've been saying this for years. I find it amazing that no one at CDOT has brought it up as a viable alternative.

[summit]

Wait I though the Twin Tunnel project would solve everything!

[Name Redacted]

If you get stuck in traffic this time of year on I-70, it's your own damn fault. It's gotten to be so predictable. You are part of the problem.

And the problem with the 285 solution, is that it only goes to between Breck or Monarch and south Denver. You'd have to go through Breck to get to any other ski area. There's three other major resorts in Summit, plus Vail and BC that would still crowd I-70 on a regular basis. Sure, if you lived in Highlands Ranch, and skied Breck, you'd be stoked. They aren't going to build a superhighway just for one ski area.

[The SnowShow]

Agree, but taking out a huge volume of people skiing Breck and sending them down 285 would help at least, since Breck is one of, if not the, most crowded area. There could also be an extension built to Leadville area, creating a way from Copper/ Fremont pass area, around Summit. And 285 spills out onto 470 only a few miles south of I70, so it's not like you're limiting the route access to only south Denver. The skiing crowd isn't going anywhere and likely going to get worse, as Denver is one of the fastest growing cities in the country. I'd think spreading the crowd out via multiple routes is better than bandaid I70 fixes, aka Twin Tunnels. Another idea is to encourage the development of a luxury ski area somewhere off the I70 corridor that would spread out people.

[Name Redacted]

Agree, but taking out a huge volume of people skiing Breck and sending them down 285 would help at least, since Breck is one of, if not the, most crowded area. There could also be an extension built to Leadville area, creating a way from Copper/ Fremont pass area, around Summit.

Yeah, just drill a tunnel right through the heart of the Mosquito range to make that happen! Or four lanes over Mosquito Pass! Ain't gonna happen in our lifetime.

[The SnowShow]

Yeah, right under Mt Democrat and connect into Fremont Pass.
Ok, kind of kidding.

Hey, I70 got built through rugged valleys and terrain.

[smmokan]

If you get stuck in traffic this time of year on I-70, it's your own damn fault. It's gotten to be so predictable. You are part of the problem.

And the problem with the 285 solution, is that it only goes to between Breck or Monarch and south Denver. You'd have to go through Breck to get to any other ski area. There's three other major resorts in Summit, plus Vail and BC that would still crowd I-70 on a regular basis. Sure, if you lived in Highlands Ranch, and skied Breck, you'd be stoked. They aren't going to build a superhighway just for one ski area.

I don't entirely agree. With the shitstorm that I-70 has become, a viable 285 route would be a solid option for anyone coming from the southern half of Denver Metro to Summit County, Copper, and even Vail/BC via Buena Vista-Leadville-Minturn. Even if it's not a regular route, it would alleviate some of the pressure on I-70 during the high traffic and shitty weather days. Obviously what they're doing on I-70 isn't working a goddamn bit.

It would also give people another legitimate return option when I-70 is closed or is a clusterfuck, which seems to happen quite frequently these days.

[Name Redacted]

I don't entirely agree. With the shitstorm that I-70 has become, a viable 285 route would be a solid option for anyone coming from the southern half of Denver Metro to Summit County, Copper, and even Vail/BC via Buena Vista-Leadville-Minturn. Even if it's not a regular route, it would alleviate some of the pressure on I-70 during the high traffic and shitty weather days. Obviously what they're doing on I-70 isn't working a goddamn bit.

It would also give people another legitimate return option when I-70 is closed or is a clusterfuck, which seems to happen quite frequently these days.

Have you ever driven that route? It would take 4-5 hours to get to Vail on a dry summer day. Look at a map. Only way to shorten it would be a tunnel through the Mosquitos, which I'm sure would be pretty cheap.

I would propose to make I70 two levels, four lanes each. During storms, the lower level would be used for peak flow, as it would be shielded from snow. If the upper had to shut down, you still have the lower as an option and vice versa. There would be no need for widening anything. The top could even be heated to avoid icing.