CDOT: Venture will make emergency escape ramp ‘extra seen and sturdy’
DENVER (KDVR) — An Interstate 70 runaway truck ramp will shut for months, leaving truckers with no emergency escape on a stretch of the mountain hall headed towards Denver.
The Mount Vernon emergency escape ramp can be rebuilt, and work was scheduled to begin Monday, in response to the Colorado Division of Transportation. It’s at milepost 257 in Jefferson County, simply east of Genesee.
The undertaking will “make the ramp extra seen and sturdy for truck drivers to make use of within the occasion of an emergency, similar to failed brakes or a mechanical failure,” CDOT stated in a launch.
Closure is about for the top of November till late Might or early June 2024. Throughout that point, there can be no eastbound escape ramp from the Eisenhower-Johnson Memorial Tunnel to Golden.
“Truckers should be certain their brakes and automobiles are in secure working order earlier than heading down the steep grade,” CDOT stated.
CDOT stated the undertaking was deliberate for winter, when it’s the bottom danger for decent brakes and trucker speeds are decreased.
I-70 building: Runaway ramp close to Genesee
Based on CDOT, enhancements for the Mount Vernon runaway ramp embrace:
- higher superior signage,
- bigger limitations between the ramp and the adjoining steep embankment,
- further cameras on the ramp,
- new ramp lighting,
- and a greater ramp design permitting for late entry ought to truckers miss the escape ramp entrance.
There are various places for truckers to cease to chill their brakes. Drivers can see them on a map at COtrip.org. CDOT may also notify drivers concerning the closure with indicators and pace reductions alongside the interstate.
CDOT stated site visitors impacts must be minor. Together with intermittent single-lane closures Monday-Thursday, the shoulder alongside the development space can be closed throughout the undertaking.
