Just a heads up. Still closed as of this morning.
LOVELAND PASS - A mountain pass - and major trucking thoroughfare - remained closed Thursday morning because of a tanker crash a day earlier that caused damage to the highway.
Authorities say thick black plumes of smoke were visible as far away as Frisco after the tanker, which was carrying diesel and unleaded fuel rolled and caught fire around 2:30 p.m. Wednesday Lake Dillon Fire Departmentresponded to the scene.
Fire officials say the driver managed to escape the cab just as the tanker ignited.
According to Lake Dillon Fire Department Chief Dave Parmley, the best course of action is to let the blaze burn itself out.
"In this case, that's better, in terms of the environmental impacts," Parmley said.
Parmley says after the tanker burns out, it'll be easier to clear what remains without having to spend days or weeks cleaning up hazardous materials downstream.
"Right now, waterways do not look like they've been impacted - the North Fork or the Snake River," Parmley said. "So, we've kept it right there at the accident site."
Due to the fact that truckers hauling hazardous materials are required to take Loveland Pass instead of the Eisenhower/Johnson Tunnel, authorities say they will shut down the tunnel briefly at the top of each hour to allow the hazardous trucks to drive through.
The tunnel closures were expected to cause traffic tie-ups along Interstate 70.
The Colorado Department of Transportation
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Originally Posted by whitebrad
