If you are parked in a ski resort in Colorado’s I-70 mountain corridor, you might receive a notice from the Colorado DOT. It all depends on the shape of your tires.
Back on Feb. 9, I-70 was a winter nightmare when motorists had trouble maintaining traction on the highway, adding hours to commute times. In addition, officials believe the reason why many were sliding off I-70 near the Eisenhower Tunnel all winter long was because many had worn tires. Heading into the 2014-15 snow campaign, the Colorado DOT is being proactive. The agency will use volunteers to patrol ski resort parking lots checking the condition of tires. If they look worn, a notice will be tagged on the windshield, along with coupons.
“If they see something not good, they will leave tires that point them to a place to get new tires,” CDOT spokesperson Amy Ford said.
The tire check is just a small part of a $6 million plan to make travel easier on I-70. A corridor manager position has been created, armed with the task of working with communities along the mountain corridor, and CDOT also is trying to get big rigs off the stretch of highway when the weather turns bad. The state’s chain law also will be enforced more, and there is expected to be an increase in chain vendors.
One success story from last year was the implementation of snowplow escorts. The tactic involves stopping traffic while snowplows clear the route.
