Wind and dust make driving hazardous through Thursday

Southeast Colorado — High winds and dust continue to cause hazardous driving conditions across the southeast corner of Colorado. Motorists may encounter proactive road closures due to limited visibility. Areas south of US Highway 50 including Interstate 25 south of Pueblo and US 287 south of Lamar may continue to experience safety closures through Thursday, Feb. 19.

Windy weather can kick up at a moment's notice — and if you're behind the wheel, you may have little time to react. Strong winds can jostle your vehicle and others’ on the road, topple power lines and litter the ground with debris. Powerful, windy weather phenomena, such as dust storms, can cause brownouts. Similar to a blizzard, brownouts reduce visibility significantly.

A dust storm usually arrives suddenly in the form of an advancing wall of dust and debris which may be miles long and several thousand feet high. They strike with little warning, making driving conditions hazardous. Blinding, choking dust can quickly reduce visibility, causing crashes (or hazardous incidents) that may involve chain collisions and create massive pileups. Dust storms usually last only a few minutes, but the actions a motorist takes during the storm may be the most important of his or her life.

CDOT urges motorists to be prepared for road conditions that can change or decline quickly. Motorists should travel with caution, as they may also encounter delays or safety closures due to the adverse weather and difficult driving conditions. Travelers are urged to visit COtrip.org for possible closures and travel conditions.

Travel Tips for Motorists During a Dust Storm

• Avoid driving into or through a dust storm if possible
• While driving through dust and smoke make sure to have your headlights on
• Do not wait until poor visibility makes it difficult to safely pull off the roadway — do it as soon as possible. Completely exit the highway if you can
• Do not stop in a travel lane; look for a safe place to pull completely off the paved portion of the roadway
• Stop the vehicle in a position ensuring it is a safe distance from the main roadway and away from other vehicles
• Turn off all vehicle lights, including your emergency flashers, while parked. You do not want other vehicles approaching from behind to use your lights as a guide, possibly crashing into your parked vehicle
• Set your emergency brake and take your foot off the brake pedal
• Stay in the vehicle with your seatbelt buckled and wait for the storm to pass
• Drivers of high-profile vehicles should be especially aware of changing weather conditions and travel at reduced speeds
• A driver’s alertness and safe driving ability is still the number one factor in preventing crashes

Safety Closures

A safety closure is a precaution taken during inclement weather and during dust storms to reduce the probability of traffic incidents, increased congestion or other safety-related factors. During a safety closure, traffic may be stopped, turned around or directed to an exit. Safety closures help decrease delay times, and, above all, keep travelers safe.

COtrip.org & COtrip Planner App

If motorists must head out during a dust storm, they are urged to visit COtrip.org and download the COtrip Planner app ahead of time. Motorists are now able to sign up for travel alerts through COtrip.org to check if there are any highway closures or impacts along their favorite routes. The COtrip Planner app also offers a “Trip Planner” feature that allows motorists to map out their routes and receive updates about road closures or incidents along the way. Motorists can turn on the “Hands-Free, Eyes Free” feature to receive these alerts via voice notifications and avoid routes with impacts.

The free COtrip Planner mobile app was designed to meet the growing trend of information on mobile and tablet devices for the traveling public. The COtrip Planner app provides statewide, real-time traffic information, and works on mobile devices that operate on the iOS and Android platforms. Visit the Google Play Store (Android devices) or the Apple Store (iOS devices) to download.