Felicia from Denver writes, “What is driving you crazy? Hi Jayson! The family and I visit the mountains as often and possible and always made it a point to look for the "Continental Divide " sign inside the Eisenhower Tunnel. The last few times we traveled through, we thought we just missed it but I'm certain it's no longer there. Do you know why they would have taken it down?”
The short answer Felicia is the sign, while fun and informative, was a safety issue. Bob Wilson from CDOT tells me the big green signs were removed last year for a couple of reasons. Primarily because the walkway is the emergency escape route and the signs partially blocked the ability for people to walk on that walkway. He tells me that the sign was such a hazard, CDOT decided to remove it for safety in the unlikely event they needed to evacuate the tunnel quickly.
Even though the big green sign is gone there is still a marker on the wall that shows you when you cross over the continental divide. It also serves as the dividing line between Clear Creek and Summit Counties. The marker looks like a thin, black streak about three quarters the length of the wall. You can see the words, “Clear Creek County” written on the bottom of one side and “Summit County” written on the bottom of the other. It says Continental Divide underneath the black line.
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Here is my users guide about how to spot the continental divide marking in either tunnel for yourself. The markers are on the western third of the tunnels. If going westbound in the Eisenhower tunnel, it is just past the 8th overhead electronic sign. Look for the number 4 on the right side of the wall. If going eastbound in the Johnson Tunnel, it’s between the 3rd and 4th overhead electronic sign on the right side of the wall. It’s just past the large West Crossover sign on the wall.
It is tough to see when the tunnel walls are dirty like during my trip in January. So my advice, get in the right lane and slow down to get the best view of it.
Denver7 traffic anchor Jayson Luber says he has been covering Denver-metro traffic since Ben-Hur was driving a chariot. (We believe the actual number is over 20 years.) He's obsessed with letting viewers know what's happening on their drive and the best way to avoid the problems that spring up. Follow him on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram or listen to his Driving You Crazy podcast on iTunes, Stitcher, Google Play, and Podbean.
