10:01 a.m. — Westbound I-70 is open again at the tunnels. The righthand lane remains closed for cleanup.
ORIGINAL — A pre-dawn crash today on westbound I-70 sent one person to the hospital in a helicopter.
Multiple agencies confirm a box truck collided with a semi-truck just west of the Eisenhower-Johnson tunnels around 4:20 a.m.
The driver of the box truck suffered unspecified injuries and was airlifted.
Photos from CDOT and Summit Fire & EMS show the crumpled remains of the box truck cab. No other injuries are confirmed. Colorado State Patrol is investigating.
CDOT reports a hazmat crew was on site for several hours, cleaning up spilled fuel.
Westbound traffic was detouring over U.S. Highway 6 at Loveland Pass.
This comes as I-70 traffic is ramping up to one of the busiest weekends of the year. Last year upwards of 48,000 cars traveled the tunnels in the days before and after Fourth of July. Traffic peaked at 51,598 cars on July 6 – an average of 2,150 cars every hour.
Preview image via Colorado Department of Transportation on Facebook.