After several hours of closure due to a nine-vehicle collision, the eastbound lanes of Interstate 70 near Georgetown have reopened, as reported by Denver7. The incident, which occurred near mile marker 227 just west of Georgetown, caused significant traffic disruption on Tuesday afternoon.
The crash involved a variety of vehicles, including a semi that was hauling additional cars, though these were not counted among the nine involved in the initial report by the Colorado State Patrol. Despite the scale of the pileup, Clear Creek County Sheriff’s Office spokesperson described the injuries as "minor", with several individuals transported to the hospital, Denver7 reported. The highway was cleared and traffic resumed by around 3 p.m. the same day.
While details on the cause of the collision have yet to be disclosed, an investigation is underway by the Colorado State Patrol. Officials have not released an official statement on what initiated the crash as of now. In the meantime, those caught in the crash are all expected to survive their injuries according to The Denver Post.
Cleanup efforts and the reopening of I-70 were managed quickly to restore normal traffic flow in the affected area. "Several people involved were taken to hospitals with injuries that were not life-threatening," as stated by 9News in their coverage of the mishap. The successful coordination between emergency services and state officials minimized the closure's duration, and, the disruption to the local commuters.
