With frustrations bubbling in mountain towns over chronic closures on Interstate 70, Colorado’s governor said he could support harsher fines for motorists who disregard the state’s chain law. 

Gov. Jared Polis told reporters on Thursday that he would be “very open to increasing the penalties” on vehicles traveling without chains or adequate tire traction on mountain roads but that the legislature would need to first send a bill to his desk. 

State law requires chains for large commercial vehicles traveling on parts of I-70 and other major roadways ​​between Sept. 1 and May 31. Other vehicles must have winter or all-weather tires, or tires with a certain tread depth, to comply. 

There is no bill currently pending this legislative session to increase fines for violators, the maximum of which is $1,150. 

“That would need to occur through a legal change here in the legislature, and we’d be happy to work with any legislators on how we can ensure better use of chains when appropriate in the High Country,” Polis said. 

The mountain corridor has been repeatedly paralyzed by closures of up to nine hours this winter season, with some incidents caused by spun-out truckers without chains. The closures have disrupted worker commutes and blocked critical routes for first responders. 

Local officials have tried taking matters into their own hands, with the town of Vail recently announcing an emergency ordinance to beef up enforcement at chain up sites, tow vehicles at the violator’s expense and levy the highest fines possible allowed by municipal court. 

Vail Mayor Travis Coggin had previously called for the state to raise the maximum fine to $20,000. 

The ordinance comes after the town sent a letter to Polis last month pleading for more action from the state, to which the town was “underwhelmed by the response we got,” according to Coggin. 

Polis said the state “is very serious about enforcing our chain laws” and wants to work on how Colorado State Patrol can “contribute to better enforcement.” 

Troopers have been increasing police presence on I-70 this season to crack down on violators, with multi-agency operations that have been ongoing since February. The measures are an addition to existing chain checks at ports of entry — like the Eisenhower-Johnson Memorial Tunnels — as well as active chain-up stations and daily roadside contacts.

However, despite the added layer of enforcement, which included double the number of agencies involved during a March 5 operation, the results have shown little change in the number of citations issued. 

Last year, state troopers issued 976 citations for commercial vehicles that failed to comply with the chain law and 120 citations for violations that resulted in a road closure.

In the legislature, a bipartisan group of Western Slope lawmakers is pursuing a bill that would allow private companies to sell and install tire chains for motorists traveling along I-70 and other mountain roadways. 

The bill creates a permit system for companies to operate at designated sites and is modeled after similar programs in California, Washington and Oregon. The legislation represents an incentive, rather than a punitive-based approach, and does not contain any increase in fines for violators. 

Lawmakers have said they hope it will provide another tool for truckers who need help. 

“We’re just trying to keep chipping away at this thing to see if there’s something that might work better,” said bill sponsor Sen. Marc Catlin, R-Montrose, speaking on the measure in January. “Added to everything else, maybe that’ll be part of the answer.” 

The window for bills to be introduced is closing, with lawmakers now more than halfway through the legislative session that ends on May 7.