Car crashes close canyon
Interstate 70 through Glenwood Canyon was closed twice Wednesday afternoon and evening, after vehicle crashes snarled traffic.
Snowy and icy roads were a contributing factor.
“People don’t know how to drive in this stuff,” said John Bohman, a supervisor at the Colorado Department of Transportation’s Hanging Lake Tunnel control center.
The first accident was a multi-car pile up between Shoshone and Hanging Lake, just east of Glenwood Springs. Bohman said the wreck closed the canyon for about an hour.
The second accident, at Grizzly Creek, closed the canyon at about 5:20 p.m. Eastbound traffic reopened at 8:15 p.m.
The Colorado State Patrol issued an accident alert for Garfield, Pitkin and Eagle counties at 5:25 p.m.
Motels in Glenwood Springs started filling up after the first canyon closure.
“People started walking in wanting rooms at about 3 p.m.,” said Ramada Inn evening desk manager Leland McMinn.
The Colorado State Patrol also reported a rollover accident on Interstate 70 at mile marker 105 at 4:45 p.m.
Details on the accidents were unavailable Wednesday night.
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