Snow Makes Mountain Travel Difficult
SILVERTHORNE, Colo. (CBS4)- Falling snow made travel difficult for drivers traveling along the Interstate 70 corridor into the mountains west of Denver on Wednesday.
According to the Colorado Department of Transportation, one of the biggest problems was that drivers were not prepared for the snow-packed and slick road conditions.
Some semi drivers were not prepared and did not put chains on their tires. One tractor trailer actually had to be pushed up the mountain by a CDOT truck.
I-70 was closed at different intervals in different places throughout the day due to winter driving conditions.
"It's getting rough now, it's definitely getting rough. I moved to Denver two months ago and Denver wasn't bad but as we started getting into the mountains, it started going crazy," said driver Shaaf Matin.
According to CDOT, when the traction law or Code 15 is in effect, all passenger vehicles need to have either snow or mud (M+S) tires, or a four-wheel/all-wheel drive vehicle or use chains or an alternative traction device. All tires, regardless of the vehicle must have a minimum one-eighth inch tread.
When either of those are in effect a motorist can be fined $130 for not having proper equipment or more than $650 for blocking the roadway.
The snow started falling early Wednesday morning. A Winter Storm Warning was in effect for the Denver metro area at 2 p.m. Wednesday and expected to receive five to 10 inches of snow. Seven to 14 inches of snow was expected in the foothills by Thursday.