DENVER — A large stretch of westbound Interstate 70 is closed west of Denver due to ice, spun-out vehicles, and adverse conditions, and drivers who aren’t being cooperative, a CDOT spokesman said.

The highway was fully closed between Golden/C-470 and Silverthorne, but around 7:45 a.m., the eastbound lanes reopened.

“This is our big trouble spot, really across the state,” said CDOT communications director Matt Inzeo. “Frankly, we’re having one of those frustrating situations that usually hits us during the height of ski season.”

According to Inzeo, the big issue is that many commercial truck drivers were unprepared for the adverse conditions and were not carrying chains, which are required.

On top of that, he said, some drivers are being uncooperative.

“At this point, we are actually engaging with law enforcement agencies, because we have people who are blocking lanes of traffic and are refusing to pay to get their vehicles towed out of the way,” he said. “So this is quickly turning from an operational situation to a law enforcement one.”

They’re required to pay for specialized heavy tows, Inzeo said.

He said the closure is so large because crews will close the road away from the issues and closer to towns that have services for travelers.

“We need to make sure that we’re not creating a huge traffic jam in the mountains that is actually going to take longer to resolve if people are sitting there along the roadside.”

Road conditions across Colorado are icy and slick. Drivers are asked to slow down, leave extra room between vehicles, and drive with caution, the Colorado State Patrol said. 

Several other highway closures are in effect Friday as western Colorado’s mountains could see up to 16 inches of new snow.

U.S. Highway 6 is closed in both directions over Loveland Pass between Mile Point 222 and Interstate 70 due to safety concerns, according to the Colorado Department of Transportation.

The 9NEWS Weather Impact Team has issued a Weather Impact Alert on Friday and Saturday morning, as Colorado will see snow to begin the Easter weekend. Winter Weather Advisories have been issued for much of western Colorado.

In Colorado’s mountains, snow continues all day on Friday. Travel on Interstate 70 through the mountains will be rough all day on Friday, and it won’t really improve until later Saturday in the high country.

The Colorado Department of Transportation offered the following safety tips for driving in winter conditions:

• Commercial vehicle drivers should be prepared for chain restrictions on mountain roadways.
• All travelers should be prepared for below-zero temperatures.
• Crews will be in full force, but the arctic temperatures will be challenging as the roads will experience continuous refreezing.