DENVER –This holiday weekend is predicted to be the second busiest ski weekend of the year. Only President’s Day weekend will have more traffic.
The heavy traffic coupled with extremely windy conditions on Friday meant drive times of more than three hours in some cases for drivers between the front range and the tunnel.
The Colorado Department of Transportation is warning drivers to be prepared for heavier than normal traffic and longer than normal commutes through Monday.
There is some good news, though. According to traffic data from Martin Luther King Jr. Day weekend 2019, the worst of the holiday traffic may already be over.
In 2019, the Friday of MLK weekend saw 28,151 vehicles pass through the tunnel. That was the most traffic traveling in a single direction in one day that weekend.
Overall, Saturday had the most congestion with 47,896 total vehicles passing through both the east and westbound sides of the tunnels.
Sunday and Monday look to be the least crowded heading toward the ski resorts. About half as many people will drive westbound through the tunnel on Monday than on Friday.
However, Sunday and Monday are expected to be the two most crowded days of the weekend heading back toward Denver. Expect heavy delays and prepare your vehicle with a full tank of gas, food, water and warm clothes.