What Colorado travelers can expect on the roads during the Christmas and New Year’s period 

End-of-year holiday travel is once again expected to break records in the U.S., with the busiest times for motorists being just before and after Christmas Day. 

Over 122 million Americans are projected to travel at least 50 miles from home between Dec. 20 and Jan. 1, according to AAA. That represents a 2.2% increase over last year and sets a new travel record. AAA uses economic and booking data to make its projections. 

Of those 122 million, 109.5 million Americans are expected to travel by car. 

AAA regional spokesperson Skyler McKinley said Colorado tends to disproportionately see travel during holiday periods, be it in the winter or summer. 

For the upcoming Christmas and New Year’s period, “We’re seeing records broken nationally, and I suspect that Colorado will be the beneficiary of a lot of that travel to Colorado,” he said. 

This coming weekend is expected to be the busiest time on the roads, with Dec. 24 and 25 being the lightest, he said. 

Traffic is anticipated to pick up again on Dec. 26 but tends to decrease on Dec. 31 and Jan. 1. A flurry of post-holiday travel is then likely to hit on Jan. 2 and 3, he said. 

According to AAA’s national projections, because the year-end holiday travel period spans a longer time frame, travellers have more options for departures and returns. 

McKinley said Coloradans should expect “peaks and valleys” in traffic congestion over the next two weeks, especially for travellers to and from the high country. That includes the notoriously busy Eisenhower-Johnson Memorial Tunnels on Interstate 70. 

Last year, more than 660,000 motorists passed through the tunnels between Dec. 21, and Jan. 5, representing one of the heavier travel periods of the year, according to data from the Colorado Department of Transportation. 

To help ease holiday congestion, the agency said it will suspend construction projects and roadwork statewide starting at noon on Dec. 24 through Jan. 1. 

There will also be no lane closures related to the Floyd Hill project on I-70 from Dec. 20 through Jan. 1. The Floyd Hill project site encompasses an 8-mile stretch of interstate from west of Evergreen to eastern Idaho Springs. 

High country, higher gas prices 

Gas prices nationwide are lower than last year, with the national average dipping below $3 per gallon for the first time in four years, according to AAA. 

In Colorado, the statewide average price per gallon was $2.49 as of Dec. 18. Prices, however, remain elevated in the high country, with most central and northern mountain counties seeing prices over $3 per gallon. 

McKinley advised motorists who are traveling to the mountains to fill up in the Front Range, where prices straddle below $2.50. 

“For Front Range travellers who are coming to the high country, expect that prices aren’t what you’re paying on the Front Range,” he said. 

Mixed mountain weather 

One major difference in holiday travel this year compared to last: Denver no longer ranks as a top 10 destination for car rental demand. 

McKinley said that could be due in part to the lackluster start to the ski season, with snowpack levels for this time of year at the lowest point since 2018. As of Dec. 18, statewide snowpack stood at just 60% of the 30-year median. 

Still, Colorado has “cemented itself as a year-round travel destination; folks don’t just come to ski anymore,” he said. 

And winter “will arrive to Colorado eventually,” he said, who urged motorists who haven’t done so to prepare their cars for colder, snowy weather. 

In the mountains, where the state’s traction law is currently in effect, on-and-off snowfall could be in store for the holiday period amid bouts of dry periods. 

Between 1 and 3 inches of snow could accumulate in upper elevation areas by the end of this weekend, bringing with it wet, icy, and snow-packed road surfaces on high mountain passes, according to OpenSnow. 

Dry conditions will likely return until at least Dec. 25 , when there’s the potential for more snow through Dec. 28.

Traction law in place 

Colorado’s traction law for passenger vehicles runs from Sept. 1 to May 31 and requires motorists to have proper tire tread depth or tire chains when traveling along the I-70 corridor. 

The law was updated this year to require that four-wheel and all-wheel drive vehicles have either winter tires with a mountain-snowflake icon, all-weather rated tires or mud and snow tires. Vehicles that don’t meet that standard must carry tire chains or an approved alternative traction device. 

The changes drew some confusion over what it means for two-wheel-drive vehicles, which are not explicitly mentioned in the law’s text. Colorado State Patrol said it will consider two-wheel drive vehicles compliant with the traction law if they have snow tires with the required tread depth or if those vehicles have alternate traction devices, like tire chains. 

Motorists who aren’t in compliance face a $50 fine and a $17 surcharge. Rental companies are also now required to notify drivers about the state’s traction and chain laws and the penalties for violating those. 

Travel alerts and conditions 

Colorado drivers can check the latest travel alerts by going to COTrip.org. Specific information for travel along the I-70 corridor, including shuttle options, real-time road conditions, and live corridor cameras, can be found at CODot.gov/travel/i70mountain. 

The latest weather conditions can be found at Weather.gov.