I70 in Colorado

Best of luck. I hope the weather stays on your side.

 

Ty for the updates on Eisenhower etc. Eisenhower has one feature that is a surprise to me the first time I went through east bound, there is a set of hexongal jointage inside the walls about the summit 900 feet middle on both walls. Turns out there is a earthquake fault under neath and should it snap those joints are supposed to move long ways to keep the bores open.

Allengheny is one tunnel I care about on the turnpike other than blue mountain. That first one generally gets people who are lulled into a sense of security east bound, come out and are presented with a series of S's downgrade.

PA Turnpike has several other tunnels no longer used by any traffic, I'll have to research and dig them up again.

PA turnpike has replaced all the bridges over it at least once. The originals poured back before ww2 had to be replaced because the concrete had aged and started falling out exposing rebar which led to a faster decline. I think they also moved the pike somewhat south towards somerset to the west to work around a particular mountain whose name I forgot by now to improve the pathway a little bit.

When on mountains I use the Mt Eagle rules for 77K to 80K starting off at 8 mph and never more than 30 provided I can get it stable on the jake all the way down. But Mt Eagle has about 5% I think other mountains are steeper so even 30 would be too fast.

 

Running empty, if you have the time and the roads are clear. Just for the experience run highway 6 around the Eisenhower. It is a beautiful scenic road.
Look out for them tankers. They know the road well and run it quicker than most traffic. Be aware of all the snow bunnies also.
Good luck.

 

Radar has no activity in CO.

We are however expecting a outbreak once a classic dry line establishes along the Tx panhandle, east of Limon CO area in about 4 days time.

 

If you don't have to do it, wait until you can do it in a car. Better yet, wait till Summer.

 

Loading at Natural Soda in Rifle by chance?

WOW, after reading some of these comments, I'm scared to death to run I-70 in Colorado, and I've been doing it for 20 yrs.

First things first, it's a beautiful driver, filled with sheer terror, tourists and skiers. Few things to keep in mind on 70 west of Denver, first hill you come to is call Genesse, stay in the right or middle lane, left lane is not for trucks and carries a $100 fine if they catch you (side note, if you have a fast truck and can pass slower trucks VERY VERY quickly, you can make a quick jump to the left, if not, don't do it. Second hill is call Floyd Hill, the two almost become one, except for the 5 miles in between summits.

Secondly, all downhills on I-70 will have a posted speed limit for trucks, that will list for vehicles above 20,000 GVWR (which pretty much includes all semi's and straight trucks), it is loosely enforced depending on the whether, the cop, time of day and how far over the limit you are going. There is no speed difference on WB 70 over Genesse, however, the descent down Floyd is 45 mph, there is a pull out near the bottom where the cops like to sit.

Few miles west of Floyd there is a Port, if you have prepass you should be fine, if not, it is open 5 am to Midnight, depending on the mood of the scale operators.

Next up is Georgetown Hill, it's a two lane stretch, 9% grade (contrary to popular belief, Colorado lies about grades), DO NOT, I repeat, DO NOT get in the left lane unless you know for a fact you can pass someone without holding up traffic. Technically Georgetown hill is 10 miles long and ends at the Eisenhower/Johnson Tunnels.

The downhill from the Eisenhower Tunnel is 8 miles, it's a 6% to 7% grade, you are restricted to the right or center lane, speed is restricted to 35 mph empty or loaded, this is loosely enforced, depending on the time of day. Middle of the night it borderline resembles qualifying at Daytona with the food service bobtails, FedEx and misc. speeders. There are two runaway ramps, minimum $5,000 if you use one, so don't, pay attention to your brakes.

At the bottom of Eisenhower is a slight climb, then a flat stretch before you hit the Copper curve and the climb to Vail Pass. This stretch is 2 lanes, not very steep, maybe 5% for the entire stretch. The downhill of Vail Pass is 45 mph, it's 2 lanes, you are restricted to the right lane, but passing is permitted, lane restriction and speed are not aggressively enforced if you're not smoking a brake or holding up traffic.

Once you get past Vail, it's all two lane, speed limit is 65 going to 75 until you hit Glenwood Canyon, speed limit is 55 mph and it's lane restricted. If you are going to Natural Soda in Rifle, get off at Exit 87, turn right and head back towards town, Natural Soda is on the left, your GPS will most likely be inaccurate for it's location. Goofy docks to access, watch for Swift and Werner drivers incapable of backing properly. Nice people.

Heading East on I70. Again, Glenwood is 55 mph, lots of construction, lane restricted. The climb up Vail Pass is 7% (9%) in spots, again you are lane restricted to the right lane. East side downhill from Vail is deceiving, it doesn't look steep, but it's steep than it is, if you have a good jake, you'll be fine.

Climbing the Eisenhower tunnel, you're restricted to the right or center lane (signs are misleading in spots). The east side of the tunnel, leading down to Georgetown is not speed restricted, until you get to Silver Plume. Speed limit is 65 mph, stay to the right, use your jakes. At Silver Plume, the speed limit drops to 45 mph and you are lane restricted, they are not joking. Make sure your brakes are adjusted and working good. Georgetown hill dropping from Silver Plume to Georgetown is steep and short, smoking brakes are the norm, burning brakes are not uncommon. There is a parking area/brake cooldown at the bottom if you need it.

Next 20 miles is curves and traffic, and a scale that is sometimes open at random. Climbing Floyd hill, you are restricted to the right or center lane, they mean it, state patrol will follow you to the top and stop you if hold up traffic along here. EB side of Floyd is just a long gentle downhill, watch your speed it will climb.

Now, Genesse is a whole 'nother bird. It is a 7% grade, 45 mph speed limit and lane restricted for trucks. Don't play games, there are idjits who like to speed down this like it's qualifying at Daytona. At the bottom, it gets very congested. Multiple law enforcement agencies work this stretch of road. There is a runaway ramp near the bottom. Once you hit the bottom, it's all flat from there. Locals on Genesse will not hesitate to call the cops on speeding trucks, and depending on the speed, it's a mandatory court appearance.

There are several rest areas and a few parking areas on both direction of I-70. At the Dumont exit, where scale is located, there is a Conoco with truck fuel, and a couple of truck parking spots. Few miles west, at Gypsum is a sort of truck parking area, maybe 4 spots and gas station 50 yds away.

 

Expect high winds...