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Driving to the Front Range? Construction projects make planning ahead important

Scott Franz

— Drivers in Northwest Colorado may want to consider using Colorado Highway 131 to get to and from the Front Range this week instead of taking the more common and direct route through Kremmling.

Delays on Colorado Highway 9 could reach as many as 45 minutes because of the major highway improvement project.

Meanwhile, road work is also expected to create significant delays on U.S. Highway 40 on Berthoud Pass, which some drivers have been using as a detour.



A project hotline for the Berthoud Pass road work warned that drivers could experience up to 15-minute delays at each construction stop they encounter.

State Transportation Commissioner Kathy Connell said Monday she has heard delays on the Berthoud detour could total 30 to 45 minutes, depending on the amount of traffic and the time of day.



Crews will be working on multiple stretches of the highway on the pass to pave the road and work on guardrails.

If you’re still resolved to head to Kremmling via Colo. 9 outside of the normal construction hours that run from 6:30 a.m. to 7 p.m., prepare to encounter rough, unpaved roads and reduced speed limits for several miles of the highway.

According to the Colorado Department of Transportation, heading south on Colo. 131 from Steamboat Springs to Wolcott adds about 33 miles and approximately 35 minutes to a trip to the Front Range compared to a construction-free route through Kremmling.

Drivers can use cotrip.org to plan ahead and choose their route to and from the Front Range.

The site lists known construction projects on each highway and also provides travel alerts.

To stay up to date on the road work on Colo. 9 and get weekly updates on possible delays, call the project hotline at 970-724-4724.

To learn more about the work on Berthoud Pass, call the hotline at 970-557-4353.

To reach Scott Franz, call 970-871-4210, email scottfranz@SteamboatToday.com or follow him on Twitter @ScottFranz10


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