The Colorado Department of Transportation is anticipating heavy traffic heading into Labor Day weekend in addition to extreme heat and cold.

The National Weather Service predicts high temperatures in the 90s from Friday to Monday, peaking at 97 degrees on Saturday in Denver International Airport. Tuesday’s predictions drop to 52 degrees with rain expected in Denver and a chance of snow in eastern Colorado. 

CDOT expects heavier-than-normal traffic this weekend on Interstate 25 along the Front Range and on Interstate 70 west of Denver.

Traffic on the I-70 mountain corridor has already returned to pre-COVID-19 levels, in some cases exceeding last year’s traffic volumes during high travel periods.

In anticipation of the traffic, CDOT is suspending lane closures on all construction projects statewide Friday at noon except for emergency work. Construction will resume normal operations on Tuesday.

I-70 is expected to have the most traffic on Friday from midmorning to late afternoon and on Saturday from 7 a.m. to midafternoon. Eastbound I-70 traffic will be heaviest on Labor Day from midmorning to late afternoon.

In 2019, traffic at the Eisenhower/Johnson Memorial Tunnels reached more than 198,000 vehicles over Labor Day weekend.

Drivers should prepare for possible closures of I-70 through Glenwood Canyon as a result of debris, mudslides and rockfall from the Grizzly Creek fire. Possible safety closures exist between Glenwood Springs and Dotsero.

The seasonal roadways — Highway 82 over Independence Pass and Trail Ridge Road through Rocky Mountain National Park — remain open until adverse winter weather requires closure.