LOVELAND PASS, Colo. (KDVR) — The Problem Solvers are learning a lot of new information about potholes on Interstate 70 that have been causing some major problems.
One particular stretch of the mountain corridor is described as having some of the worst problems. It’s where a camper trailer was captured going out of control after hitting a pothole.
A lot of people have complained about one particular stretch in particular: the eastbound lanes of I-70 near Loveland Pass.
Potholes can make I-70 like an obstacle course
On Friday, FOX31 found out why driving conditions there can seem like an obstacle course. When vehicles exit the Eisenhower-Johnson Tunnel heading east toward Denver, they have a tendency to pick up speed.
One driver described what happened to him when he began passing through this area, driving the speed limit near mile marker 216.
“I was in the righthand-most lane and I have a 2020 Jeep Wrangler, and it literally threw my truck into the lefthand lane,” Denver driver David Antoniolli said.
The driver filed a complaint telling the Colorado Department of Transportation that this road needed to be fixed.
The Problem Solvers drove the road to see just how bad it was.
The FOX31 live truck was bounced around. At one point, photojournalist Dan Maybury, who was driving the truck, grunted trying to keep the van under control.
It’s the same area where a camper trailer was captured crashing. The driver said he was wrongfully cited for careless driving.
When does CDOT repair potholes on I-70?
CDOT encourages people to report potholes when they see them so they can be repaired.
“We try to do it almost immediately. The only thing that will really slow us down from repairing a pothole as soon as we get the notice is the time of day when it happens,” said John Lorme, with CDOT’s maintenance and operations.
“Sometimes we’ll go out there and make a repair on a pothole, then another one will open up pretty close,” Lorme said.
Extreme weather fluctuations are said to wreak havoc on the asphalt at 11,000 feet of elevation.
“So it is hard for asphalt to hold up under the strain of so much traffic, the weight of the vehicles and just the pounding. The cyclic changing in the temperatures are severe at times that the highway itself, it’s under an enormous amount of stress,” Lorme said.
People who use this road often advise that drivers beware.
“The potholes cause an upward bouncing with the ruts,” said another driver, who did not wish to be identified.
Knowing that a bumpy road is ahead can prevent a lot of problems and heartache.
In 2022, there were 240 claims for pothole damage on Colorado highways. CDOT said about $6 million a year is spent on pothole and pavement repair.