AVA Blog

10 Ways to Avoid I-70 Traffic Congestion

June 10th, 2014

As my high school band teacher drilled into my head at an early age, “If you’re early, you’re on time. If you’re on time, you’re late. If you’re late, you’re dead”. In keeping with this valuable life creed, I give you 10 ways to avoid i70 traffic congestion, so that you and yours will be on time for your scheduled rafting or ziplining trip!

1. Check the I-70 traffic Cams – Colorado has multiple webcams that operate year round all across the I-70 corridor. These are the easiest way to see exactly what trip conditions are like.
2. Check CDOT’s twitter – CDOT has a twitter and they update it often. You can follow them at twitter.com/ColoradoDOT for the latest updates about traffic conditions.
3. Avoid driving on I-70 during holidays – Memorial Day, 4^th of July, and Labor Day are some of the busiest traffic days of the season for I-70. Do yourself a favor and avoid making driving plans for these weekends as only headaches may follow.
4. Avoid peak times – Rush hour affects I-70, too. It’s easy to avoid by just not being on the road during it!
5. Avoid leaving Denver for the mountains on Fridays – Westbound traffic is the heaviest on Fridays, by far. Just avoid it.
6. Avoid leaving the mountains on Sunday – Eastbound traffic is the heaviest on Sundays. Stay an extra night and avoid the congestion
7. Know the status of the tunnels – The two biggest causes of traffic along I70 are the Eisenhower/Johnson Tunnels & the Twin Tunnels in Idaho Springs. Look at their status using one of the resources above and accommodate your trip accordingly.
8. Carpool – Fewer cars on I-70 means less traffic.
9. Obey posted signed for closures – If you see a sign that the right lane is ending, merge left rather than clogging traffic further. It’s a journey, not a race, and you’ll honestly probably get there faster merging, as soon as you see the sign posted.
10. Drive Safely – Accidents cause traffic. Help keep traffic clear by driving safely.