Hazmat Route Changes Fought in Colorado

A two-year-old battle over proposed hazardous materials route changes in the Denver area will come to an end next month.

Lonnie Westphal, chief of the Colorado Highway Patrol, has until the end of April to decide whether to approve a petition by the state Department of Transportation to remove a section of Interstate 25 around the Denver area from the hazardous materials route system while adding similarly located portions of C-470 and Interstate 76.

The Colorado Motor Carriers Association believes the route additions are a good idea that will give truckers more options and alleviate traffic in congested area; however, the association has fought I-25’s deletion ever since it was proposed.

The association says its major concern is the danger of taking trucks off I-25 and forcing them onto a more circuitous route prone to worse weather.

For the full story, see the March 22 print edition of Transport Topics. Subscribe today.