SUMMIT COUNTY - The Colorado Department of Transportation says they do not expect to reopen Interstate 70 until sometime Monday afternoon.
CDOT officials say the emergency shelters in Summit County will remain open until the highway has been reopened. They say 2,000 people were housed in the shelters.
Authorities say I-70 remains closed between Floyd Hill and Vail due to high winds and whiteout conditions. It was not immediately clear when Berthoud and Loveland Passes might reopen.
CDOT suggests westbound traffic to take US 285 southbound to US 24 westbound to I-70 west of Vail. Vice versa, eastbound traffic can take the same alternate route.
Breckenridge and Frisco can be accessed by traveling via Fairplay and then taking northbound SH 9, according to CDOT. Other alternative routes include I-80 and US 50.
Crews are trying to conduct avalanche control work along the closed routes but CDOT says their efforts are hampered by high winds and poor visibility. The highway's reopening depends on the completion of the avalanche mitigation activities and weather conditions.
CDOT is still advising motorists not to travel to the high country and does not advise motorists to wait at the I-70 closure points for reopening.
Click here for information about shelters that are open.
According to CDOT, drivers on the east side of Eisenhower Tunnel were expected to be able to get into Denver.
CDOT says both directions of U.S. 6/Loveland Pass remain closed. As does both directions of U.S. 40/Berthoud Pass.
Both directions of U.S. 40 at Rabbit Ears Pass, both directions of State Highway 134/Gore Pass and both directions of State Highway 14 from U.S. 40 to Walden are also closed.
Earlier on Sunday, Jonathan Rummy was definitely earning his paycheck, working to adjust the chains on the Domino's Pizza Truck he was driving.
"In the winter time you generally earn your paycheck," said Rummy.
Rummy was driving through the mountains along I-70 just as heavy snow and high winds tear across the high country, blowing snow and reducing visibility in a matter of seconds.
"It's getting a little bad - the wind's picking up, blowing snow around," said Rummy.
Roads turned into sheets of ice meant a bad day for drivers like Charley Quest.
"Well, we were coming down this hill here and it was all greasy and slick from the ice and someone pushed me from behind, then pushed into all these other vehicles," said Quest.
He was one of several drivers caught in a multi-car accident near Silverthorne.
"So there was about 6 or 7 vehicles piled up here at one time," Quest said.
It was a mess for drivers, with reported times of 3 hours to get from Summit County to the Front Range. Still, it was not enough to keep die hard football fans like Skip Zetzorg and his son Grant from braving the elements in hopes of making it to the Broncos last game of the season.
"Just trying to make it to the Bronco game," said Zetzorg.
Near Wellington in Larimer County, several cars drove off Interstate 25. Whiteout conditions and strong gusts of wind forced drivers to slow down. Few drivers went beyond 20 mph along stretches of the interstate heading toward Wyoming. Authorities closed the stretch of I-25 between Wellington and Wyoming Sunday afternoon.
Some truck drivers pulling large trailers decided to exit to avoid accidents. Denny Hounson was trying to drive into Wyoming when the conditions forced him to pull over and park. Hounson says when there are whiteout conditions, no one should attempt to drive unless it's absolutely necessary.
"I drive in this stuff day in and day out and I don't want to be in it. I don't understand why people are out in it if they don't have be," said Hounson.
