I-70 Travelers Expected The Worst Sunday, But It Didn't Happen
MORRISON, Colo. (CBS4) - Holiday travelers were mostly relieved on Sunday on their return to the Front Range from Colorado's mountains.
Westbound traffic was clogged for most of the day last Thursday and Friday, but it was smooth sailing in the eastbound lanes back into Denver late in the day on Sunday.
Officials with the Colorado Department of Transportation had warned drivers to prepare for the worst on Sunday and even encouraged people to stay an extra day in the mountains if possible.
By 10 a.m., almost 2,900 cars came through the Eisenhower-Johnson Tunnel, but that may have been the busiest time all day.
Construction briefly delayed traffic in Idaho Springs, but it wasn't a major delay.
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CDOT officials said one reason why things were so smooth on Sunday was they saw a lot more people returning from the mountains on Saturday than expected.
At 10 a.m. on Saturday more than 1,425 cars were on I-70 east at the Eisenhower-Johnson Tunnel. At 2 p.m., there were 2,127 vehicles. By 5 p.m. there were 1,888 vehicles.
Lynn Peterson of Evergreen told CBS4 during the day it was "probably the best I-70 experience I've ever had on holiday weekend in a long time.
"We've been flying, it's been great," another driver told CBS4.
CDOT officials said it is possible that traffic may be a little bit heavier than usual coming out of the mountains on Monday.
LINK: Traffic Section