Denver, CO
Denver prepares for first big snow of the season; most residential streets won’t be plowed
DENVER (KDVR) — Denver is bracing for the first significant snow of the season, and city officials warn the worst impacts could hit right during Wednesday’s morning commute.
The Denver Department of Transportation and Infrastructure says most residential streets — including many in the city’s core neighborhoods — will not be plowed overnight. Instead, crews will focus on main roads and known trouble spots as snow moves in late Tuesday into early Wednesday.
“This is definitely… that feeling of here we go, winter has begun,” said DOTI spokesperson Nancy Kuhn.
Kuhn says pavement temperatures ahead of the storm aren’t freezing yet, meaning light-to-moderate accumulations can be managed without deploying residential plows.
“Since the pavement temperatures are not freezing yet, we don’t think that we’re going to need to deploy those residential plows,” she said.
Drivers should expect snow-packed and icy conditions in neighborhoods through the morning rush, she added.
“People may have forgotten … what it’s like to drive on snowy, wet roads, and so definitely we ask people to slow down,” Kuhn said.
DOTI says plow drivers will begin reporting at 10 p.m., with full staffing by midnight.
“Our drivers will start coming in tonight at 10, everyone will be in by midnight, so we will be ready to go when the storm hits,” Kuhn said.
Denver metro commuters preparing for delays
Some residents tell FOX31 they’re already planning for a difficult commute.
“Tomorrow I am blessed that I don’t work until 3:00, so I am praying that some savior will shovel all the … all the snow away from my car,” said Capitol Hill resident Morgan Najm.
Westminster resident Celia Bell said she doesn’t expect to arrive on time.
“Yeah, I’m not … I am going to come in late. Because what is the point?” she said.
Bell urged drivers to take it slow.
“Avoid it if you can, trust your brakes… don’t take them for granted,” she said. “I’ve been inches and seconds away from like a semi… and been like skidding into the intersection.”
Najm says leaving early can make all the difference.
“Just leave an hour earlier… even a half hour earlier… whatever you are comfortable with,” she said. “It gives you more time so you can casually get to your destination instead of being reckless on the road and risking it for others who are petrified!”
Reminder: shovel your sidewalks or risk a fine
Denver also requires residents and businesses to clear their sidewalks after the snow stops falling — or face potential fines.
“Businesses should start clearing as soon as they can; residents have 24 hours,” Kuhn said.
When reminded of the rule, Najm joked she wasn’t fully prepared.
“We are reminding people they need to get their shovels out,” FOX31’s Hanna Powers told her.
“Is that me? Like, do I have to do that?” Najm laughed. “I should go buy a shovel right now.”
Some of the heaviest snow is expected before sunrise, creating potentially hazardous conditions on unplowed residential streets. FOX31’s Pinpoint Weather Beast will be out throughout the morning commute, providing live updates on road conditions across the metro area.
Denver, CO
What drivers will face traveling into mountains near Denver on I-70 amid Floyd Hill bridge building
Drivers heading west from metro Denver into the mountains on Interstate 70 on Monday and Tuesday face overnight closures, and 20-minute stops through Thursday at the base of Floyd Hill, the latest traffic disruptions for bridge building as part of the Colorado Department of Transportation’s $800 million reconstruction of I-70 through Clear Creek Canyon.
The nighttime closures this week, scheduled from 9 p.m. until 5 a.m., are planned around the I-70/U.S. 6 interchange at exit 244 and include on- and off-ramps.
Drivers also should expect to wait at 20-minute stops multiple times per day from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. on I-70 starting Monday, and continuing through Thursday, according to a CDOT notice.
But officials said there would be no planned traffic disruptions during the holidays from Dec. 20 to Jan. 5.
CDOT contractors will be blasting rock in the canyon above eastbound and westbound I-70 between the Veterans Memorial Tunnels and the Homestead Road interchange near Idaho Springs. And drivers may face intermittent traffic stops along the Central City Parkway, County Road 314, U.S. 6, and U.S. 40, CDOT officials said.
CDOT contractors are building a temporary framework to support their upcoming construction of a concrete bridge on I-70. When it’s done, the bridge will carry westbound drivers through a new route that CDOT officials say will be safer and improve traffic flows through the canyon, which long has loomed as a bottleneck.
The rebuilt highway, with an added westbound express toll lane, eventually will carry drivers through a widened canyon on viaducts 115 feet above Clear Creek. This safer route, designed to improve visibility for drivers, is expected to allow speeds of 55 miles per hour in areas now marked 45 mph.
Depending on the weather this week, disruptive construction work may shift to Wednesday and Thursday, CDOT officials said.
The I-70 Floyd Hill Project involves about eight miles of I-70 in the mountainous area between Evergreen and the eastern edge of Idaho Springs. CDOT officials have promised that, as part of the project, they’ll improve the Clear Creek Greenway trail and ensure safer routes for wildlife.
Construction began in July 2023. The project is expected to conclude in 2029.
Drivers learn more by calling CDOT at 720-994-2368 or by texting floydhill to 21000 and signing up for text alerts. CDOT officials also said information about weather, road conditions, and travel impacts is available at COtrip.org.
The Green Bay Packers (9-4-1) dropped from first to second in the NFC North and from the second seed to the seventh seed in the NFC after losing to the Denver Broncos on Sunday.
Significant injuries suffered against the Broncos will mean lasting implications are felt past Sunday. The Packers are also now a long shot to catch the Los Angeles Rams for the No. 1 seed in the NFC, and it’ll take a win next Saturday night in Chicago to retake control in the NFC North.
But the Packers are still in a good spot in terms of making the postseason field, especially after the Detroit Lions, Carolina Panthers and Dallas Cowboys all lost on Sunday.
NFC playoff picture after Week 15
- Los Angeles Rams (11-3, 6-3 vs. NFC)
- Chicago Bears (10-4, 6-3 vs. NFC)
- Philadelphia Eagles (9-5, 7-3 vs. NFC)
- Tampa Bay Buccaneers (7-7, 5-5 vs. NFC)
- Seattle Seahawks (11-3, 6-3 vs. NFC)
- San Francisco 49ers (10-4, 8-2 vs. NFC)
- Green Bay Packers (9-4-1, 7-2-1 vs. NFC)
Others: Lions (8-6), Panthers (7-7), Cowboys (6-7-1)
According to The Athletic’s NFL playoff simulator, the Packers have a 92 percent chance of making the postseason with three weeks to go. They become all but guaranteed of a playoff spot if they can beat the Bears in Chicago in Week 16. In fact, just one win over the final three weeks could be enough for the Packers to get in.
The NFC North winner looks like a coinflip. The Athletic’s model gives the Packers a 48 percent chance of winning the division right now, and it would go up to 82 percent with a win over the Bears on Saturday. Chicago took down the Cleveland Browns with ease in bitter cold temps at Soldier Field on Sunday.
The Athletic’s model also gives the Packers a 98 percent chance of being the No. 2 seed if Matt LaFleur’s team can win out. That will be much easier said than done without Micah Parsons (and potentially Christian Watson) down the stretch.
Two very possibilities for the Packers: Win the NFC North and host the Bears in the NFC Wild Card Round, or get in as the No. 7 seed and go to Chicago to play the Bears in the NFC Wild Card Round. A third round of the rivalry is increasingly possible in January.
Packers remaining games
Nothing easy here. The Bears, Ravens and Vikings all won Sunday. The Bears and Ravens won comfortably; the Vikings upset the Cowboys — who desperately needed to win — in Dallas. The Bears and Ravens are both playing to win division titles. The Vikings are a dangerously talented spoiler team, and winning at U.S. Bank Stadium is never easy. The Athletic’s model gives the Packers roughly a 40 percent chance of making the postseason even with an 0-3 finish. The Lions are the biggest threat to pass the Packers in the event they finish 0-3.
It appears the Packers can clinch a playoff spot next week with a win over the Bears and a Steelers win over the Lions.
It’s time for the AFC’s #1 team to meet the NFC’s #2. Today the Denver Broncos host the Green Bay Packers in a key late-season inter-conference matchup that could have playoff seeding implications for both teams.
In Denver, the Broncos will be trying to hold on to the top spot in the AFC and keep their impressive win streak rolling. Denver has won ten straight games, some of them in fairly ridiculous fashion, but they sit at 11-2, sharing the top record in the NFL with the New England Patriots, who are just behind them in the playoff picture based on conference record.
The Packers, meanwhile, want to hold on to the lead in the NFC North before they have their rematch with the Chicago Bears next Saturday night. Green Bay sits behind only the Los Angeles Rams in the playoff race in the NFC, and they want to return to the Central time zone with that lead intact.
Join us here at Acme Packing Company to discuss today’s game, and Go Pack Go!
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