A multi-vehicle crash with serious injuries has shut down eastbound Interstate 70 near Georgetown, Colorado, on Thursday afternoon, snarling mountain traffic as emergency crews, including a Flight for Life helicopter, work the scene. The closure sits at mile marker 228, and officials warn it could stretch on for a while yet.
Crash Site Near Georgetown Exit Draws Heavy Emergency Response
According to WesternSlopeNow.com, the Clear Creek County Sheriff’s Office confirmed the crash happened at mile marker 228 near Georgetown and said a Flight for Life helicopter was already on the I-70 bridge near the Georgetown exit. The Denver Post reports that emergency crews are responding to what the sheriff’s office described as a multi-vehicle crash with serious injuries, and that Colorado State Patrol officials placed the closure near mile 228, just north of Georgetown.
The Denver Post noted that Colorado Department of Transportation cameras showed traffic already backing up near Silverthorne as the closure rippled westward through the mountain corridor. State troopers reported the crash on social media Thursday, and state patrol advised drivers to choose alternate routes, a recommendation echoed by Colorado State Patrol and CDOT, per WesternSlopeNow’s report.
No Timeline Yet for Reopening
The sheriff’s office said the closure’s duration remained unknown Thursday afternoon, but added that it would likely be extended, according to the station’s report. That uncertainty leaves eastbound travelers in a tough spot heading into the evening commute, with no confirmed reopening time available as of the latest update.
This stretch of I-70 through Clear Creek County has a history of serious, traffic-snarling wrecks. On Dec. 31, 2024, roughly nine vehicles crashed on the steep descent into Georgetown, shutting down the eastbound lanes for about three hours, as Summit Daily reported at the time. The outlet noted that the Clear Creek Sheriff’s Office said multiple people were taken to a hospital with minor, non-life-threatening injuries in that crash, and that traffic was rerouted from I-70 via Colorado Highway 9 to either U.S. Highway 40 or U.S. Highway 285 over Hoosier Pass while crews cleared the scene.
A separate eastbound I-70 crash closed the road at the same Exit 228 area just before 6:30 p.m. on Nov. 23, 2021, according to KDVR, which reported that the Colorado Department of Transportation called it a major crash before the road reopened around 7:15 p.m. that evening. Those past incidents underscore how quickly this mountain stretch can turn into a long, white-knuckle wait for drivers.
For now, Colorado State Patrol and CDOT are urging anyone planning to travel eastbound through the Georgetown area to seek an alternate route while crews continue working the crash scene. Updates on reopening times were not yet available as of Thursday afternoon.
