Interstate 70 Shutdown Frisco to Vail Pass Due to Gas Leak from Avalanche

Summit County, Colorado – Interstate 70 has been shut down from Frisco to Vail Pass after an avalanche ruptured a Gasline near the Copper Mountain, Colorado.

The incident occurred on Thursday at around 5 pm when a natural-gas pipeline between the Conoco gas station and the water treatment plant in Copper Mountain was ruptured by an avalanche causing the Interstate 70 to close.

The Colorado State Patrol is on the scene and has said that it will take some time to clear up the highway.

The Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT) has tweeted that, “Why we can’t provide an ETO (estimated time of opening): Until the avalanche mission is conducted we won’t have a good idea of how much snow needs to be cleared.”

CDOT has dispatched a crew with snow clearing equipment and they will be clearing the highway. However, there is no estimate when the highway will be cleared.

Authorities have advised motorists not to travel through Interstate 70 until it has been reopened.