Snow and high winds leads to 20-vehicle pileup on Interstate 70, backing up highway for miles
A massive 20 vehicle pileup has shutdown a portion of Interstate 70 near Frisco, Colorado, on Saturday afternoon.
The incident occurred on the eastbound lanes at mile marker 204 around 1 p.m.
According to local reports, heavy snow and winds contributed to the pileup which involved multiple cars, trucks, and SUVs. Denver CBS reported that at least one semi truck was leaking fuel at the scene.
The crash caused the closure of the eastbound lanes, which are backed up for miles as of 2:45 p.m.
This is us sitting in dead stand stil triffic after skiing in the High Country. @ColoradoDOT please open #I70 pic.twitter.com/H5mCL4az1V
— Albus Brooks (@AlbusBrooksD9) November 24, 2018
The Colorado Department of Transportation, along with the Colorado State Patrol, has announced that an emergency shelter was opened in order to aid drivers who are stranded on the highway. The shelter is located at Summit Middle School at 158 School Road in Frisco.
Only minor injuries have been reported.
Local G. Ramos shared the following footage of the scene on Facebook.
Update (6:24 p.m.):
CSP expects the eastbound lanes to reopen within 30-45 minutes in Summit County, and within the hour for Eagle County.
#BREAKING Estimated time for RE-OPEN I-70 EASTBOUND is 30-45 minutes for Summit County and 60 minutes for Eagle County. Please have patience as we make this happen safely! #cotraffic #cowx @SummitSheriffCO @VailPolice @EagleCountySO @SilverthorneCO
— CSP Eagle (@CSP_Eagle) November 25, 2018