{"id":45333,"date":"2021-08-06T18:28:00","date_gmt":"2021-08-07T00:28:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/glenwood-canyon-closure-will-be-a-pain-point-for-colorados-economy\/"},"modified":"2021-08-07T00:28:00","modified_gmt":"2021-08-07T00:28:00","slug":"glenwood-canyon-closure-will-be-a-pain-point-for-colorados-economy","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/glenwood-canyon-closure-will-be-a-pain-point-for-colorados-economy\/","title":{"rendered":"Glenwood Canyon closure will be a pain point for Colorado\u2019s economy"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

\"Interstate
Interstate 70 must undergo extensive repairs after mud and debris washed over the highway through Glenwood Canyon. (Courtesy of Colorado Department of Transportation)<\/span>cca<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p>

It could take weeks for Colorado Department of Transportation crews to clean debris and make repairs on Interstate 70 after a mudslide in Glenwood Canyon closed the road and trapped 100 people in their cars. In the meantime, the wheels of commerce have to maneuver around it.<\/p>\n

Detours are adding hours to truck drivers\u2019 routes, leading to higher shipping costs and delivery delays.<\/p>\n

Coloradans aren\u2019t the only ones who will suffer during the indefinite closure of one of the nation\u2019s primary east-west arteries, said Greg Fulton, president and CEO of the Colorado Motor Carriers Association, a trade group for the state\u2019s trucking industry.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt has a ripple effect, not only in Colorado \u2026 but in terms of adjacent states as well as the country,\u201d Fulton said. \u201cIt\u2019s such a vital corridor to us in so many ways. We take it for granted that it will always be there and always be open.\u201d<\/p>\n

According to CDOT, 4,900 trucks travel on I-70 past Exit 205 for Silverthorne on an average day, the exit for vehicles taking the alternate northern route.<\/p>\n

\"Courtesy
Courtesy Colorado Department of Transportation<\/span>cca<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p>

Fulton\u2019s organization is advising interstate truck drivers to avoid I-70 completely by taking Interstate 80 through Wyoming, or Interstate 40 through New Mexico.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf you\u2019re just coming through \u2026 keep the detour roads open for trucks that absolutely need to be in the state,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Transportation more costly<\/div>\n

Deliveries coming directly from the Front Range can still access the Western Slope on state highways that add between two and five hours to the trip. That includes everything from fuel and building materials to everyday items to stock grocery shelves.<\/p>\n

The extra time may make it impossible to make a round-trip delivery in one day, Fulton said. Truckers are limited to 11 hours of driving in a 13-hour span, he said, adding that, \u201chaving that longer route means you will run out of driving hours.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"The
The aftermath of a debris flows around Interstate 70 in Glenwood Canyon on July 23. (Courtesy of Colorado Department of Transportation)<\/span>cca<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p>

The country\u2019s supply chain is already straining to meet consumer demand. Many people are eager to spend after being homebound for more than a year, while a shortage of workers \u2013 including truck drivers \u2013 is making it difficult to deliver goods and services in a timely fashion. At the same time, manufacturers are facing hiccups in overseas production that have persisted throughout the pandemic.<\/p>\n

Josh Nirenberg is owner of restaurants Bin 707 and TacoParty in Grand Junction. He said his supply chain has been out of whack for several months.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re still able to get some trucks, but we don\u2019t know what time of day they\u2019re going to arrive,\u201d Nirenberg said. \u201cIn some cases, we don\u2019t know what days of the week they are going to arrive.\u201d<\/p>\n

His taco stand was out of tortillas when it was time to open Thursday, and he hasn\u2019t had a shipment of tequila in two weeks. The closure of I-70 is making a bad situation worse, he said.<\/p>\n

Greg Aishman works for Denver-based Transportation Services Incorporated, a logistics company whose clients include pet food brands. Aishman coordinates the trucking of ingredients from farms to a Greeley processing plant. With I-70 closed, truckers hauling chicken parts and frozen salmon from California are going 90 miles out of their way through Wyoming. The detour adds $300 per load, he said. It\u2019s a struggle to figure out how to absorb the extra cost.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhose fault is it that Glenwood Canyon has shut down? It\u2019s not my customers\u2019 fault,\u201d Aishman said.<\/p>\n

Depending on how long the closure lasts, those costs could eventually get passed on to pet owners, he said.<\/p>\n

The biggest shipping companies in the country aren\u2019t immune. In an email, a spokesperson for UPS said the company is closely monitoring the situation on I-70, and working hard to mitigate delays.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re all scrambling to find the best way to meet this, but there is no silver bullet. I wish there was,\u201d said Colorado Motor Carriers Association\u2019s Fulton. \u201cIt\u2019s going to take a lot of coordination and help among different parties.\u201d<\/p>\n

To read more stories from Colorado Public Radio, visit www.cpr.org<\/em><\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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