Colorado expands snow chain law for commercial vehicles in mountains

With the sun beating down and the temperature in the mid-70s, the Colorado State Patrol on Friday checked to see whether commercial truck drivers at a port of entry about 40 miles west of Denver had their snow chains handy.

By noon, troopers had issued 13 citations at the Dumont port of entry for violating the state mandate that commercial motor vehicles carry chains on Interstate 70 in the mountains from Sept. 1 to May 31.

A new law expands where commercial vehicles weighing more than 16,000 pounds must carry those chains. They include mountain highways in parts of northwest, central and southwestern Colorado. The area covered on I-70 has been expanded from west of Morrison to the Utah state line.

“If we find you and you do not have chains, you can expect a citation. This a no-tolerance, 100% violation,” Col. Matthew Packard, chief of the Colorado State Patrol, said during a news conference.

The stakes are high if truckers don’t comply and crash or get stuck on a snowy mountain highway, Packard said. A closure on the I-70 mountain corridor costs the state’s economy an estimated $2 million an hour.

And people are at risk when they’re stuck on a highway during a snowstorm, perhaps stranded without food, adequate clothing or medication.

“It’s vitally important not only to our economy but to the health and safety of Coloradans to have this highway moving as quickly and efficiently as possible,” Packard said.

While the conditions can be warm and dry on mountain highways, as it was Friday, Colorado weather is unpredictable, particularly farther west on I-70, Packard said.

“Here we are in October, coming off a week where we’ve had 90-degree temperatures, but we know we can get on the other side of the Eisenhower Tunnel and it could be raining or snowing,” he said.

Herman Stocking, deputy executive director of the Colorado Department of Transportation, said it’s important to get the word out to truckers, especially those from out of state.

“If you’re from Florida and you’re driving through, you may not think in October you’re going to need chains. I have heard stories of people getting out in their shorts and trying to put their chains on,” Stocking said.

State agencies provide information to drivers on the chain law and post it on their websites. One site has a video showing how to put chains on a truck as well as a map showing where restrictions apply and details about the updated law.

Under this year’s changes to Colorado’s chain law, commercial motor vehicles will be restricted to the right lane on some of the “steepest, most windy” mountain roads, Packard said. The fine is $100.

Drivers will face the doubling of fines for speeding in certain designated areas. Packard said signs will mark where the restrictions apply.