For those of you planning to navigate the picturesque but often congested trek along the I-70 Mountain Corridor, there's some news to facilitate your travels. The Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT) is taking its text alert system up a notch by expanding coverage to three major areas this summer. This includes the I-70 Floyd Hill Project, the I-70 West Vail Pass Auxiliary Lanes Project, and the I-70 Mountain Express Lanes, as reported by CDOT.
The current texting campaign for the I-70 Floyd Hill Project has garnered a strong following, with nearly 15,000 subscribers already locked in for updates. Now, in a bid to make it even easier to plan a mountain excursion, CDOT is offering real-time, day-of updates on occurrences that might affect your journey from rock scaling and blasting to emergency road work and Express Lane statuses. These alerts are set to complement the information provided on COtrip.org and the COTrip Planner App.
Signing up for these alerts is a breeze. Motorists can choose which notifications they receive, allowing them to tailor their information stream based on individual travel needs. And all this will come to your phone in an uninterrupted text thread, helping keep track of developments with ease. To sign up for alerts, simply send a text with the corresponding word to 21000: for I-70 Floyd Hill, it's "floydhill," for I-70 West Vail Pass Auxiliary Lanes, it's "vailpass," and for the Mountain Express Lanes, punch in "xpresslanes."
This proactive approach seems to indicate a recognition from CDOT of the integral role that timely information plays in the navigation of our roadways, particularly in areas susceptible to the whims of nature and the demands of constant maintenance. While the system aims to ease the burden of mountain travelling, it's just one part of a broader spectrum of technological integrations CDOT hopes will facilitate smoother travels across Colorado's diverse landscapes.
