Measure limiting truckers on parts of I-70 moves toward governor鈥檚 desk聽
The bill now also requires CDOT to look into whether they should close roadways to truckers during snowstorms
Liz Copan/Summit Daily News archive
A proposal to restrict big-rig truckers from using the left lane in certain high-risk areas of Interstate 70 through Colorado’s mountains moved closer to becoming law Tuesday after the state House gave near-unanimous support of the idea.
Senate Bill 100, brought by Western Slope lawmakers, would also expand where truckers are required to carry chains during winter months.
After sponsors amended the bill, it now also requires the Colorado Department of Transportation to look into whether the state should temporarily close roadways to truckers during snowstorms. That would be part of a study into the economic and safety impacts of commercial vehicle incidents during inclement weather.
After its introduction, the sponsors changed the measure in several other key aspects, with the lane limitations and chain requirements being .
The legislation is aimed at preventing crashes and road closures, which can hurt commerce in the state and in communities along the corridor.
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“Avoidable crashes that happen on I-70 and in some of our mountain highways cause great safety risk to all Coloradans and visitors and also cause tremendous economic impacts to our state,” said Sen. Dylan Roberts, a Frisco Democrat and a prime sponsor of the bill.
Rep. Elizabeth Velasco, a Glenwood Springs Democrat, is another prime sponsor of the bill.
“For my community, keeping roads open is a major concern and this is something I hear about a lot,” she said.
Sen. Perry Will, R-New Castle and Rep. Rick Taggart, R-Grand Junction, are also prime sponsors of the bill.
CDOT would also be charged with studying where the state can add more chain stations and parking areas for truckers.
Under the bill, truckers wouldn’t be able to use the far left lane to pass other vehicles in these sections of I-70:
- Glenwood Canyon
- Dowd Junction
- Vail Pass
- Eisenhower Tunnel
- Georgetown Hill
- Floyd Hill
They would be allowed to pass other drivers on 3-lane portions of those roads.
Under the bill, truckers would be required to carry chains in these areas from Sept.1 to May 31 every year:
- I-70: West of Morrison
- State Highway 9: From Frisco to Fairplay
- U.S. Route 40: West of Empire
- U.S. Route 50: West of Salida
- U.S. Route 160: West of Walsenburg
- U.S. Route 285: West of Morrison
- All of U.S. Route 550
Truckers would be alerted to the new rules through existing video boards and added physical signs, Roberts said.
鈥嬧�婽he bill would also make Glenwood Canyon a “heightened speed limit enforcement zone,” which means commercial vehicles would be subject to double the fees for speeding in the area.
Greg Fulton, president of the Colorado Motor Carriers Association, said he had worked hard with the bill’s sponsors to find compromise for the proposed changes.
“What’s important to us is those people driving those trucks,” he said. “One thing that gets lost here is the people who are our blue-collar folks who are those drivers out there who are risking their lives to deliver these products.”
The Senate already gave initial approval for the bill in March but will have to again consider it and vote on whether to accept the changes made by the House. If they accept them, the bill will go before the governor’s desk. The legislative session ends May 8.
