The Colorado Department of Transportation is encouraging motorists to plan ahead and prepare for heavy traffic as the Thanksgiving holiday approaches. Drivers should anticipate additional traffic on the roadways over the next few days as people travel for Thanksgiving weekend and holiday shopping. While the forecast is still not certain for the weekend, motorists should be prepared for potential winter weather as they head home over the weekend. Weather can change in an instant at higher elevations, motorists are urged to be prepared.
To minimize traffic impacts, daily lane closures on state construction and maintenance projects will be suspended by midday Wednesday, Nov. 26. The only exception is for emergency operations. All projects can resume work on Monday, Dec. 1.
Traffic volumes on the I-70 Mountain Corridor are expected to increase beginning Wednesday morning around 8 a.m., with the heaviest travel Friday through Sunday, beginning around 8 a.m. and continuing to 6 p.m.
For those wanting to travel and forget about traffic, CDOT’s Bustang, Snowstang and Pegasus offer reliable, comfortable alternatives to navigating heavy traffic and mountain congestion. These services provide direct connections to major Front Range cities, mountain resorts and key destinations along the I-70 Mountain Corridor, helping reduce delays, improve safety and ease parking pressures at popular holiday spots. Please go to www.ridebustang.com for more information.
Traffic at the Eisenhower/Johnson Memorial Tunnels tends to be lower during Thanksgiving weekend than other fall and winter holiday weekends. Vehicle numbers in 2024:
| Westbound | Eastbound | Total | |
| Wednesday, Nov. 27 | 16,933 | 14,120 | 31,053 |
| Thursday, Nov. 28 | 16,596 | 14,586 | 31,182 |
| Friday, Nov. 29 | 21,006 | 19,549 | 40,555 |
| Saturday, Nov. 30 | 19,061 | 25,208 | 44,269 |
| Sunday, Dec. 1 | 18,401 | 24,758 | 43,159 |
| Total | 91,997 | 98,221 | 190,218 |
