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SILVERTHORNE, Colo. (KDVR) — Many Colorado drivers expressed frustration and concern after a major backup on the eastbound lanes of Interstate 70 Saturday night between Silverthorne and Loveland Pass. 

“I’ve never had an I-70 experience quite like this one before,” Melissa Holck, one of the drivers stuck on the highway, said. 

Holck said she was heading back from a day of skiing at Copper Mountain expecting to hit traffic, but nothing like this. 

“There were people getting out of their cars and stretching, some people even had to use the restroom on the side of the road,” Holck said. 

Timeline of CDOT’s Twitter communication

At 3:55 p.m., the Colorado Department of Transportation tweeted “I70 eastbound: Emergency road work between Exit 205 – US 6; CO 9; Silverthorne and Exit 216 – US 6; Loveland Pass.” 

“What was unique about this experience is it really took a long time to hear back from the Department of Transportation on what was going on,” Holck said. “We were really relying on other people stuck in the traffic to give updates as they got through.” 

At 6:15 p.m., CDOT tweeted “#I70 eastbound: Road closed due to emergency road work between Exit 205 – US 6; CO 9; Silverthorne and Exit 216 – US 6; Loveland Pass.” 

FOX31 later confirmed with CDOT that road work was due to a large pothole on the deck of a highway bridge that needed immediate attention. 

“At approximately 4:26 p.m. on Saturday, traffic on eastbound I-70 had to be diverted near the Loveland Pass exit because a large pothole approximately two feet in diameter had formed on a highway bridge, exposing rebar on the structure. CDOT bridge crews were immediately dispatched to the site to make emergency repairs. Meanwhile, traffic backed up in the area, requiring traffic metering on the west side of the Eisenhower-Johnson Memorial Tunnels,” Tim Hoover with CDOT said. 

But for some drivers, it was already too late to turn around, remaining stuck in the “red zone” on I-70 between Silverthorne and the Eisenhower tunnel with no exits. 

“A lot of people were pretty upset that there was not signage put up in Dillon or Silverthorne that could redirect us over the Loveland Pass,” Holck said. 

Then there was more confusion. CDOT officials tweeted out at 9:18 p.m., “I70 eastbound: Heavy traffic cleared between CO 9 and C-470.”

Drivers on the road told FOX31 this was not the case. 

“There was no signage that really told us where we were going, what was going on, if they were having us turn around,” Holck said. “Overall it took us about five hours to get back to the city.” 

CDOT completed the roadwork just after 4 a.m. on Sunday. 

CDOT’s response to the roadwork

FOX31 reached out to CDOT about the backup and communication issues that frustrated many drivers and received the following response: 

CDOT would like to thank motorists for their patience and remind Coloradans that the best source for real-time information on Colorado roads is COtrip.org. CDOT used its variable message sign boards along the corridor to notify motorists of the delays, and information about the closure was prominently displayed on COtrip.org, which is also available as an app. Additionally, CDOT’s Twitter account provided real-time updates. 

CDOT’S entire response is included below: 

At approximately 4:26 p.m. on Saturday, traffic on eastbound I-70 had to be diverted near the Loveland Pass exit because a large pothole approximately two feet in diameter had formed on a highway bridge, exposing rebar on the structure. CDOT bridge crews were immediately dispatched to the site to make emergency repairs. Meanwhile, traffic backed up in the area, requiring traffic metering on the west side of the Eisenhower-Johnson Memorial Tunnels. 

CDOT used its variable message sign boards along the corridor to notify motorists of the delays, and information about the closure was prominently displayed on COtrip.org, which is also available as an app. Additionally, CDOT’s Twitter account provided real-time updates.

Repair crews worked overnight to get the bridge repaired, and after the road materials had sufficient time to cure, the bridge was reopened at approximately 4:20 a.m. Sunday. 

CDOT would like to thank motorists for their patience and remind Coloradans that the best source for real-time information on Colorado roads is COtrip.org. 

CDOT also asks that motorists respect work zones and the safety of our workers. At roughly 12:38 a.m., a vehicle ignored cones and drove into our work zone and struck a loader, thankfully not causing any injuries. CDOT reminds motorists to please slow for the cone zone and respect our workers, who are just trying to do their jobs and keep the driving public safe.

No major backups were reported by CDOT on Sunday as normal weekend traffic on the I-70 corridor coming back from the mountains was expected.