News - Local
Zipper lane would cut I-70 trips in half
Posted: Aug 26, 2010 9:18 AM by Bea Karnes, News First 5
Updated: Aug 26, 2010 9:19 AM
Adding an extra, temporary eastbound lane to Interstate 70 would cut travel time from ski resorts to Denver by about half.
That's according to the initial results of study commissioned by the Colorado Department of Transportation. It found using a reversible zipper lane on winter Sundays would cut the drive time from Silver Plume to El Rancho from 91 minutes to 46 minutes.
The extra lane would be borrowed from westbound I-70.
The study found that the drive into the mountains would grow from 35 minutes to 79 minutes as a result.
Colorado lawmakers passed a bill this year urging CDOT to consider using a zipper lane to ease weekend backups on I-70.
CDOT will now conduct the second phase of the study and make a decision in December.
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