Have you ever ever been behind a trucker within the left lane on I-70 driving up Georgetown hill and thought to your self, ‘hey, that is dumb.’ Properly, in that case, you are not alone.
A bipartisan-supported invoice from Sen. Dylan Roberts, Sen. Perry Will, Rep. Elizabeth Velasco, and Rep. Rick Taggart goals to assist make I-70 safer, and run smoother by proscribing Industrial Motorized Autos (CMVs) to the correct lane at particular downside areas alongside the mountain hall and western slope, in addition to imposing a extra strict velocity restrict on truckers dashing by means of Glenwood Canyon, particularly.
Whereas the invoice initially targeted on the canyon, efforts to develop the attain of those guidelines have been put into movement.
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The principle provisions of the after the preliminary amendments are as follows:
- CMVs won’t be allowed to move at key I-70 places: Floyd Hill, Georgetown Hill, Eisenhower-Johnson Memorial Tunnel (E&W facet), Vail Cross, Dowd Junction, and Glenwood Canyon
- Requires CMVs over 16,000 kilos to hold chains on I70 and key mountain passes all through western Colorado (I can get you a full record in order for you)
- Doubles dashing penalties in Glenwood Canyon
- Commissions a research for extra chain up/chain down stations, in a single day parking spots for CMVs, and extra winter climate closures for CMVs
The addition of extra chain up/chain down stations could be along side the Colorado Division of Transportation, which permits truckers to comply with the regulation higher of holding and utilizing chains on the mountain passes.
The thought behind holding vans out of the left lane is easy, in the event that they’re resigned to simply the correct lane, they cannot move different vehicles, and they’re going to go as sluggish as they should go to be able to efficiently make it by means of, over, and down the passes.
It is counterintuitive to corporations who need to get their shipments the place they should go ASAP.
“There’s the incentives that have been the outcomes of guidelines being loosened over the previous couple of years nationwide for truckers,” Roberts mentioned. “We even have a situation the place we’ve got a number of drivers who’ve by no means pushed within the Colorado mountains earlier than.”
“They’re from Florida, Georgia, or California or actually anyplace else within the nation, they usually don’t know what the Glenwood Canyon is or what winter driving is like. So, they get there and they do not know methods to deal with that scenario,” he mentioned.
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CDOT has acknowledged time and time once more that dashing within the canyon is the primary issue of accidents, whatever the dimension of the automobile.
When a big CMV crashes (and even goes by means of a guardrail) it may well take hours if not days to get the automobile out of the way in which and again open for different drivers.
Whereas sponsors are hoping this may maintain the primary hassle spots of I-70 clear, it is solely addressing the issue from the angle they will. The remainder if as much as the drivers.
“In fact, we’d like the businesses to coach their drivers higher. We’d like individuals to pay attention to sure restrictions which can be taking place. However, you understand, the Glenwood Canyon isn’t the place to hurry,” he mentioned.
