Colorado mountain travel along I-70 to see heavy congestion over July 4th holiday weekend
The holiday kicks off higher traffic volume in the high country, with summer tourism hitting its peak over the next six to seven weeks, according to the Colorado Department of Transportation.
The department is urging motorists to plan ahead if traveling to or from the mountains July 3-6. The Fourth of July is on Friday.
Last year over the Fourth of July holiday period, more than 235,000 vehicles traveled through the Eisenhower/Johnson Memorial tunnels along I-70.
With the holiday falling on Friday, westbound I-70 will see the heaviest volume the afternoon of July 3 through the morning of July 4.
Heaviest I-70 eastbound returning traffic from the mountains will take place the afternoon of July 6, which is Sunday.
Here are ways you can beat the congestion:
GOI70.com: This allows you to see the travel forecast to plan your departure time.
COtrip.org: For real-time traffic information, road conditions and live cameras.
To ease congestion, the Colorado Department of Transportation is suspending all construction and maintenance work across the state starting at noon July 3 through the morning of July 7.
That means less of a bottleneck at major projects like the I-70 Floyd Hill Project, which suspended construction starting June 30.
Congestion still may occur in construction areas due to reduced speed limits.
Leave the driving to someone else by taking public transportation options, including Bustang, Pegasus and Bustang Outrider.
The buses provide service to many mountain areas, including Estes Park.
For more information, visit www.ridebustang.com.
This article originally appeared on Fort Collins Coloradoan: How to beat July 4th traffic on I-70 to Colorado's mountains
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