The Colorado Department of Transportation is reminding Coloradans that summer traffic along the state’s roadways will officially begin Friday.

Memorial Day kicks-off Colorado’s “summer traffic season” as more vehicles hit the roads along the Front Range and along mountain highways such as Interstate 70, especially between Summit County and the Denver metro.

“Holidays tend to mean more traffic and can unfortunately mean an uptick in tragic accidents,” said Shoshana Lew, the executive director of CDOT. “Please remember to buckle up, avoid distractions, and use extra caution when traveling in work zones.”

In 2019, over 159,000 vehicles traveled between Summit County and Denver via I-70, with approximately 43,439 people traveling on May 24, according to the release.

Traffic numbers saw a major decline in 2020 due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, but still recorded 119,157 vehicles utilizing I-70 during the holiday weekend, according to the release.

Due to expected increase in traffic, CDOT is suspending all construction and maintenance projects beginning at noon on Friday through Tuesday. Only emergency operations will continue.

Additionally, many seasonal roads will reopen this weekend including:

• Thursday:
  • State Highway 82 over Independence Pass, between Twin Lakes and Aspen, will reopen at 12 p.m.
• Friday:
  • Guanella Pass between Georgetown and Grant. 
  • Cottonwood Pass between Buena Vista and Gunnision County. 
• Memorial Day Weekend (Opening Day still to be determined)
  • Trail Ridge Road between Estes Park and Grand Lake (Rocky Mountain National Park)
  • Kebler Pass between Crested Butte and CO 133, east of Paonia.
• Friday, June 4:
  • Colorado Highway 5 — Mount Evans. 

The Colorado Department of Transportation is reminding Coloradans that summer traffic along the state’s roadways will officially begin Friday.

Memorial Day kicks-off Colorado’s “summer traffic season” as more vehicles hit the roads along the Front Range and along mountain highways such as Interstate 70, especially between Summit County and the Denver metro.

“Holidays tend to mean more traffic and can unfortunately mean an uptick in tragic accidents,” said Shoshana Lew, the executive director of CDOT. “Please remember to buckle up, avoid distractions, and use extra caution when traveling in work zones.”

In 2019, over 159,000 vehicles traveled between Summit County and Denver via I-70, with approximately 43,439 people traveling on May 24, according to the release.

Traffic numbers saw a major decline in 2020 due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, but still recorded 119,157 vehicles utilizing I-70 during the holiday weekend, according to the release.

Due to expected increase in traffic, CDOT is suspending all construction and maintenance projects beginning at noon on Friday through Tuesday. Only emergency operations will continue.

Additionally, many seasonal roads will reopen this weekend including:

• Thursday:
  • State Highway 82 over Independence Pass, between Twin Lakes and Aspen, will reopen at 12 p.m.
• Friday:
  • Guanella Pass between Georgetown and Grant. 
  • Cottonwood Pass between Buena Vista and Gunnision County. 
• Memorial Day Weekend (Opening Day still to be determined)
  • Trail Ridge Road between Estes Park and Grand Lake (Rocky Mountain National Park)
  • Kebler Pass between Crested Butte and CO 133, east of Paonia.
• Friday, June 4:
  • Colorado Highway 5 — Mount Evans.