Vail pass area scheduled to close for rock blasting operations

VAIL, Colo. (KKCO) - Work has resumed on the Colorado Department of Transportation’s I70 West Vail Pass Auxiliary Lanes project, bringing traffic holds and delays for motorists and recreationists in the area. The next phase of rock blasting is scheduled for tonight, May 8, from 6 to 8 p.m.

CDOT says drivers should expect the following:

The eastbound lanes of I70 will be closed at exit 180, near the East Vail interchange during traffic holds.
The westbound lanes of I70 will be closed at exit 190, near the top of the Vail Pass interchange during traffic holds.
Traffic holds are expected to last 30 minutes at a time, but CDOT said to plan for additional delays due to the time required to clear held traffic.
Traffic holds will only happen once an evening, between 6 p.m. and 8 p.m. CDOT says that the exact time when the hold will begin will depend on local conditions.
Only one blasting operation is scheduled for Monday night.

CDOT also said that people using the Vail Pass Recreation Trail will be impacted:

Westbound trail users will be held at the Black Lakes Picnic Site.
Eastbound trail users will be held “approximately 3 miles up the 20-foot-wide path section, just before the cul-de-sac, about halfway up Vail Pass, where the trail crosses under I-70,” said CDOT.
Construction flaggers will be in the area to stop trail users in the holding locations.
Trail traffic holds are expected to last at least an hour, though CDOT says that the holds could run longer.
CDOT stated that trail holds may start earlier in the evening, running from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m.

Real-time updates on traffic updates and road conditions are available at COtrip.org and on the COTrip app.