Westbound I-70 through the mountain corridor was briefly shut down west of Georgetown on Thursday after snow-slicked pavement turned the steep Silver Plume hill into a spinout zone. Two separate single-vehicle crashes left multiple cars sideways on the grade, including a rollover just west of the Empire / US-40 on-ramp, before crews cleared the mess and traffic was allowed to roll again.
The storm hit at a tough time for big rigs, too. With Loveland Pass closed due to the weather, larger commercial trucks had few alternate options, so traffic through the Eisenhower tunnel had to be carefully managed to keep vehicles moving.
According to the Clear Creek County Sheriff's Office, deputies responded to a rollover at mile marker 231 and another crash near mile marker 229 on westbound I-70. Despite the dramatic visuals, “no injuries were reported” at either scene, the office said. The social media post, which included photos of the wrecks, noted that multiple vehicles spun out while climbing the Silver Plume hill and urged drivers to slow down and build in extra time.
Hazmat Escorts And Tunnel Traffic Holds
Loveland Pass is the designated route for placarded hazardous-materials trucks, so when it shuts down, the Colorado Department of Transportation often has to stage those vehicles and escort them through the Eisenhower-Johnson Memorial Tunnels in controlled convoys. That setup can require short traffic holds at the tunnel entrances, typically run at set intervals, to let hazmat carriers pass safely, the Colorado Department of Transportation explains.
Why This Stretch Turns So Hazardous
The canyon between the Eisenhower tunnels and Georgetown is notorious among regulars. Steep grades, narrow shoulders and sudden gusts that kick snow into whiteout conditions combine to make slide-offs and chain-reaction pileups a regular winter storyline. Local coverage of previous crashes on this same run has shown how one seemingly minor spinout can quickly balloon into an hours-long shutdown and occasionally trigger a hazmat response, as reported by Denver7.
How Drivers Can Stay Safer On I-70
The sheriff's office again urged people to “give extra time, slow down and maintain following distance” on the mountain corridor, according to its social media post. Before heading west, travelers are advised to check COtrip.org or CDOT traveler alerts for real-time closures and camera views and to delay nonessential trips when snow is coming down hard, which remains the safest call. Both the Clear Creek County Sheriff's Office and CDOT regularly share traffic updates and travel advisories.
