Snow impacts post-holiday commutes in Colorado

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KRDO) -- According to the American Automobile Association (AAA), a record-breaking 115.6 million drivers will be on the roads this holiday season.

If you're expecting to be on the roads in Colorado, you can expect longer drive times and more dangerous road conditions due to this weekend's expected snowfall.

CDOT says if you're driving through the southwest mountains - you may want to delay your travel plans altogether. That area is expected to see a whopping 18 inches of snow.

Drivers in Northern Colorado aren't in the clear either.

The I-70 and I-76 corridor are expected to see five to ten inches of snow, and limited visibility on the roads because of wind gusts reaching over 40 MPH.

Snow accumulation on I-25 is expected to fluctuate - with the most snow expected between Monument and Castle Rock.  

Traffic south of Pueblo was impacted early Friday when CDOT shut down southbound I-25 from Pueblo County to the New Mexico border. The closure was largely because officials didn't want people getting stranded in an area with no cell phone service or nearby facilities.

To help with the flow of traffic north of Colorado Springs, CDOT says they're temporarily closing construction on the Gap project and will adjust speed limits as needed.

You can also expect to see snowplows on the road this weekend, which ie expected to slow the flow of traffic.

"It's very important that cars stay back and don't get too close to the snow plows", says Karen Rowe, CDOT Director. "The snowplows aren't able to go too fast, so we know it slows traffic for a little while, but in the long run it's better for the public".

Check on road conditions here.

Check on road closures here.