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6:15 p.m.: Westbound traffic is moving again according to Colorado Department of Transportation cameras along Interstate 70.

5 p.m.: Heavy traffic is building on U.S. Highway 285, which allows people to bypass Interstate 70 westbound during closures and heavy traffic, according to traffic cameras. State officials have urged motorists to avoid Highway 285 as a detour, instead instructing travelers to remain in Denver until closures end and congestion eases.

4:45 p.m.: A popular detour when Interstate 70 is closed via U.S. 40 over Berthoud Pass is closed westbound, according to CoTrip.org, due to “safety concerns.”

4:40 p.m.: A warning on CoTrip.org states, “Holiday traffic is very heavy and travelers should expect extremely long delays. Travelers able to do so should wait out the closure in Denver.”

3:21 p.m.: According to Colorado State Patrol, the crash involved two vehicles on westbound I-70 near mile point 217. One vehicle was a 2021 Ram hauling a trailer and the other vehicle was a Freightliner semitruck also hauling a trailer.

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An occupant in the Ram was confirmed deceased at the scene, and a dog in the Ram was also confirmed deceased at the scene. The driver of the semitruck reported no injuries. 

I-70 eastbound reopened in between the tunnels and Silverthorne just before 3 p.m., according to a Colorado Department of Transportation news release. Westbound I-70 remains closed at the tunnels, and westbound traffic coming from Denver is being turned around near Floyd Hill at Exit 248, the release states.

Westbound traffic will continue to be turned around for several hours, according to the release, something that department of transportation cameras show is also happening at Exit 218, near where the crash occurred. 

The department of transportation release encourages motorists not to travel on I-70 from Denver because of the remaining closures, adding that U.S. Highway 40 is not available as a detour at this time.

“Motorists are strongly encouraged to hold off on traveling west on I-70 or south on US 285 from Denver at this time,” the release states. “All other routes such as U.S. 40 and U.S. 6 will be congested.”

3 p.m.: Austyn Dineen, the Colorado Department of Transportation communications director, said one fatality from the crash has been confirmed. The accident involved a camper van and a flatbed semi truck, Dineen said.

The department of transportation expects an extended closure for westbound I-70 and encourages the public to not travel west on I-70 for the time being.

“We know this is a busy holiday weekend,” Dineen said. “We want to make sure that people are not adding to the congestion on I-70 while it is closed.”

Original story: According to the , Interstate 70 closed around 1:30 p.m. in both directions between Exit 205 and Exit 216, a section that stretches from Silverthorne to the Eisenhower-Johnson Memorial Tunnels.

The Eisenhower-Johnson Memorial Tunnels are closed in both directions and traffic is being held at both sides of the tunnel, according to CDOT. Westbound is backed up to mile marker 223. At marker 218, westbound cars are being detoured onto the other side of the highway before being directed over Loveland Pass at Exit 216.

The Clear Creek County Sheriff’s Office that a multicar crash and vehicle fire on westbound I-70 at mile marker 218 are causing the closure. Colorado State Patrol that a possible fatality resulted from the crash.

Drivers should expect an extended closure of I-70 westbound, according to the Sheriff’s Office post.

This story will be updated.