Colorado lawmakers pump brakes on keeping I-70 truckers from the passing lane from Morrison to Glenwood Springs

Commercial vehicles such as semitrailers wouldn’t be able to use the left lane in certain sections of Interstate 70 through the mountains under an amended version of a bill being considered by the Colorado legislature. 

The original version of Senate Bill 100 would have made it illegal for big-rig truckers to use the left lane in the entire mountainous portion of the interstate from Morrison to Glenwood Springs. But on Wednesday, lawmakers scaled it back to include only four segments. 

Under the legislation, the restriction would exist on Georgetown Hill, the Eisenhower Tunnel, Vail Pass, and Glenwood Canyon. Future iterations of the bill may also include Floyd Hill, according to the bill sponsors.

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While the Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT) already has a rule in place for truckers using the left lane on those segments, Senate Bill 100 would allow them to enforce those rules with tickets. 

The bill would also require truckers to carry chains when traveling on I-70 or any U.S. highway west of Morrison. 

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The bill would also commission a study by CDOT to determine where to build more chain stations in this area. CDOT would also be required to create an awareness campaign for the new rules and restrictions, under an amendment approved Wednesday. 

That’s also scaled back from the original version of the bill, which would have had the same requirements for I-25 and all highways west of it.

The Senate Transportation and Energy Committee on Wednesday forwarded the legislation to the Appropriations Committee with a 5-2 vote. 

“This is about safety along our key corridors, this is about our economy, this is about preventing avoidable accidents,” said Sen. Dylan Roberts, a Frisco Democrat and prime sponsor of the bill. 

Greg Fulton with the Colorado Motor Carrier Association, which represents truckers in the state, asked the sponsors during the committee hearing to consider amending the bill’s chain requirements. He said while he appreciated the rules being pared back from the original bill, they’re still excessive and costly. No groups have filed formal opposition to the bill. 

“Frankly, you can’t drive on the West Slope for more than a day or two without getting on a U.S. highway,” he said. 

The bill would also make Glenwood Canyon a “heightened speed limit enforcement zone,” which means commercial vehicles would be subject to double the fees for speeding in the area. 

The bipartisan bill is also sponsored by Sen. Perry Will, R-New Castle; Rep. Elizabeth Velasco, D-Glenwood Springs; and Rep. Rick Taggart, R-Grand Junction. It will next be considered by the Senate Appropriations Committee. 

Representatives from CDOT, Colorado State Patrol, the Glenwood Springs Chamber Alliance, Colorado Ski Country USA and Vail Valley Partnership were among those speaking in support of the bill.

Elliott Wenzler is the Western Slope politics reporter for The Aspen Times and its sister publications in Glenwood Springs, Vail, Steamboat Springs, Summit County, and Grand County.