CDOT has what they call VMS (Variable Message Signs) along eastbound I-70 at Frisco and Silverthorne. Sunday 04-Mar-2012 at 5:55 p.m. these both read:
4+ hours to Denver
Call 511 for info
Now, I'm a frequent skier and have been parked in Sunday evening traffic on I-70 too often. Generally, the estimates on the signs are very accurate. This evening's info had me concerned, so I exited at Silverthorne, pulled over, and called 511. The recorded message had better news than the signs: roughly 30 minutes to the tunnel and ~45 to Georgetown. OK, back on the highway.
Fortunately, even the 511 recording was more pessimistic than reality: about a 5 to 10 minute delay to the tunnel; maybe a little more to Georgetown. Hey, this wasn't too bad. From Georgetown to the Twin Tunnels past Idaho Springs was reasonably normal; a few stops in the usual places but nothing to write home about.
It had been a windy day on the plains, so I called 511 again to check on the status of Highway 93 to Boulder. 511 said that 93 was closed for culvert construction. Hmmm. When I went on that stretch of Highway 93 just that morning at ~6:00 a.m., it looked like construction was complete. I decided to try it. My GPS agreed with 511, showing that 93 was closed. Coming up 93 nearing Highway 72, a VMS said that 93 was closed at 72 Sunday through Thursday evenings. Yet when I got there at roughly 7:45 p.m., 93 was open.
So, let me summarize what CDOT told me:
- VMS: 2+ hours to the tunnel; 4+ hours to Denver. Actual: 2+ hours from Frisco to north Boulder.
- 511: 30 minutes to the Tunnel; 45 minutes to Georgetown. Actual: a bit shorter.
- 511 and Highway 93 trailer VMS: Highway 93 closed between 72 and 121. Actual: open.
I know that Sunday evenings are busy for CDOT employees because I-70 has peak traffic flow for the week during these hours. But as far as I could tell, there were no accidents and the roads were primarily dry -- or a bit wet from earlier snow melt.
CDOT: if you're going to have signs and phone recordings, please make them be accurate. As it stands, I don't believe anything that you say.
