Wildfires, including the Grizzly Creek Fire in northwestern Colorado, continue raging in most western states.
It’s not one of the largest wildfires out west, but its proximity to a major highway potentially makes the Grizzly Creek Fire one of the most impactful to trucking and freight flows.
This fire started 1 mile east of Glenwood Springs on Aug. 10, according to Inciweb. The next day, the Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT) shut down a 24-mile stretch of Interstate 70 in both directions from Glenwood Springs to Gypsum (mile marker 116 to 140); it remains closed until further notice.
The fire has quadrupled in size since FreightWaves first reported on it Thursday. It is now spread across 25,000 acres.
The I-70 closure combined with heavy traffic, narrow width of the highway in several locations and vehicle length restrictions created unsafe travel conditions on Independence Pass. Earlier this week multiple commercial motor vehicles (CMVs) and vehicles towing trailers became stuck on the pass and forced its closure, according to CDOT.
Truckers thinking about using nearby CO-82 over Independence as an alternate route will have to reconsider. CDOT, in cooperation with local counties, has restricted travel through that area. No CMVs, camper trailers, recreational or similar vehicles are allowed until further notice, and a 35-foot length restriction is in place.
Based on their respective DOT websites, no interstates are closed in other western states due to wildfires. However, some secondary routes may be closed or restricted to non-CMVs.