A crash involving at least six cars and two semitrailers shut down westbound Interstate 70 between Morrison and Genesee for nearly five hours Thursday night and early Friday morning, law enforcement officials said.
The interstate reopened around 1 a.m., Colorado Department of Transportation officials said on social media.
The I-70 crash was triggered when the driver of a car lost control and a tanker truck carrying milk jackknifed trying to avoid it, CSP officials said on social media around 8:30 p.m.
A second semitrailer smashed into the tanker truck, then additional cars crashed into the stopped trucks, CSP officials said.
The two wrecked semis have ruptured gas tanks are are leaking diesel fuel, CSP officials said on social media. The state patrol’s hazardous materials team was on the way “to secure the situation,” officials said.
“Expect an extended closure” of westbound I-70 just west of Golden, state patrol officials said on social media around 8:15 p.m. “Don’t try to sneak around on US 40 or CO 74 as conditions are ‘wintry.’”
Jefferson County sheriff’s officials said road conditions were icy and “very dangerous” in an 8:30 p.m. social media post.
“Avoid this area and stay off the iced-over roads if possible,” sheriff’s officials said. “I-70 WB will likely be closed for the next few hours.”
The Colorado Department of Transportation advised drivers to detour via U.S. 6 through Clear Creek Canyon or Colorado 74 through Evergreen.
Just before 11 p.m., the Colorado State Patrol said on social media that the westbound I-70 exit ramp at milepost 254 had been opened to move traffic around the crash. Though the westbound lanes of I-70 remained closed as of 11:30 p.m., “traffic is slowly trickling through,” officials said.
