I-70 Traffic Congestion Worse In Summer

Last Weekend Was A Record Setter

Posted: 08/13/2010
Last Updated: 1016 days ago

Many drivers complain how ski traffic can clog Interstate 70 between Silverthorne and Denver, but the congestion is actually worse in the summer.

Last weekend, Aug. 6-8. 2010, was the 10th busiest three-day weekend for traffic at the Eisenhower/Johnson Memorial tunnels.

CDOT told 7NEWS, 139,605 vehicles used the tunnels from Aug. 6-8.

Officials expect another busy weekend this weekend.

The top 10 three-day weekends with the highest traffic counts are all from summer months except one.

Ten Highest Three-Day Weekend Counts:

Aug. 7-9, 2009 148,300 vehicles

July 31, Aug. 1-2, 2009 146,930 vehicles

Aug. 3-5, 2007 145,110 vehicles

July 16-18, 2010 144,438 vehicles

Aug. 10-12, 2007 143,315 vehicles

Aug. 1-3, 2008 142,411 vehicles

July 24-26, 2009 140,682 vehicles

Aug. 3-5, 2001 140,367 vehicles

March 2-4, 2007 139,668 vehicles

Aug. 6-8, 2010 139,605 vehicles

Traffic counts from the Colorado Department of Transportation show the busiest month of the year at the Eisenhower & Johnson Tunnels for the past few years has been July.

In 2009, 39,536 drivers passed through the tunnels in July on average per day. August was the second busiest month with 37,577 drivers on average per day. March (34,810 aver. per day), January (34,489 aver. per day), February (33,654 aver. per day) and June (33,277 aver. per day) rounded out the top 6 busiest months. October was the least busy month with an average per day of 26,378 drivers.

However, holiday weekends in the summer and winter can be equally busy. During the Fourth of July weekend in 2009, 178,085 drivers passed through the tunnels. That was slightly more than Martin Luther King, Junior weekend in 2009 when 173,488 drivers were counted.

Read more about traffic counts on the Einsenhower Tunnel website.