Potholes on I-70 near Deer Trail exposing rebar below
DEER TRAIL, Colo. (KDVR) — Between the recent cold snap and the warm weather this week, significant potholes have formed on Interstate 70 between Byers and Deer Trail.
'Our maintenance crews make temporary repairs to potholes until permanent repairs can be made. Depending on the extreme change in temperatures and traffic volumes, the temporary patches can loosen and other potholes can form,' CDOT spokesperson Tamara Rollison said.
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Multiple people who live in Deer Trail tell FOX31 their vehicles have taken a beating from the poor road conditions.
'A pothole is one thing but showing actual rebar structure of the road is a serious, serious safety hazard,' Deer Trail resident Emily Richardson said.
The metal structure of the road is visible in a small section of the westbound lanes of I-70 near Peoria Road. Richardson says it is part of a bigger problem with the integrity of I-70 on the eastern plains.
'It's every bridge on I-70. There's even a decent gap in the road they just keep filling with asphalt outside of Bennet. It's awful. It needs a whole revamp in my opinion,' Deer Trail resident Emily Richardson said.
According to Richardson, potholes are such a problem that locals have special driving techniques to avoid them.
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'They'll drive in the middle lane because on the outside of both lanes are potholes so we as 'I-70 corridorians' we know just to kind of ride the middle, which is definitely illegal,' she said.
Another Deer Trail resident, Jennifer Atencio-Stokes, says the potholes have become an ongoing problem over the last five years.
'When you drive this drive every day you learn how to play Frogger, kind of dodging all the potholes. You know where the bad ones are and when to get over,' she said.
However, Tuesday morning Richardson was unable to avoid a problem spot on I-70 westbound near Peoria Road due to a semi-truck driving next to her.
'I did ride the shoulder as much as I could because there's kind of one on each. You can't really straddle them both unless you're a race car driver so I still straddle the left side as much as I could without hitting the barrier but I still hit my left side and the weight of my car just completely popped the tire,' she said.
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Richardson says replacing her tires and repairing the damage will cost about $1,100. She is hoping CDOT can fix the problem spots before more vehicles are damaged.
'We don't even have a grocery store. We have two gas stations and a post office. I have to take that stretch to get milk eggs butter for my family. It's not that I just get to stay home and avoid the roads,' she said.
Drivers can report potholes to CDOT online or by phone. In areas where potholes are prevalent, drivers are encouraged to slow down to minimize damage to vehicles.
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
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