Eisenhower Tunnel And I-70 Closures

The Eisenhower Tunnel will be closed for fire suppression system testing.

After a successful test of the fire suppression system in the westbound lane Tuesday night, now the eastbound lane will be closed Wednesday night, July 10th starting at 11 PM. Traffic will be detoured over the Loveland Pass, US Highway 6. The tunnel will be closed until 6 AM Thursday morning.

The fire suppression system was installed to help protect travelers in both tunnels. Knocking down a fire as soon as it breaks out helps eliminate long-term closures and damage to the tunnels. A long shutdown would be devasting to the Colorado economy. It would likely cost billions of dollars of lost tourism revenue on both sides of the divide. In case you're wondering, there have been two to three fires a year since the tunnels opened in the 1970s. That's right, two or three per year. It's understandable why Colorado Department Of Transportation officials need to test the system and make sure everything is working properly in the event a fire breaks out.

As part of the closure, Thursday I-70 will be down to a single lane of eastbound traffic from 10 PM. to 6 AM.

Credit: The Denver Channel