Gridlock attributable to Rocky Mountain day-trippers pressured a small Colorado city to be quickly closed to anybody who couldn’t show they reside there.
The barricade of Georgetown was introduced Saturday afternoon by the Clear Creek County sheriff’s workplace. All non-resident drivers making an attempt to exit from Interstate 70 had been being turned away, the sheriff’s division stated, as a result of “the town is so congested with leaf-peeping traffic that all traffic in town is at a standstill.”
Georgetown residents had been informed they must present proof of tackle.
The closure was lifted after 90 minutes, however drivers had been warned that site visitors remained heavy via the city and on the prime fall shade route of Guanella Move Highway.
Georgetown, with a inhabitants of about 1,200, lies alongside I-70 a couple of 35-mile drive west from Denver. It courts vacationers with outlets, eating places and points of interest associated to its gold and silver mining historical past.
It’s additionally on the northern finish of Guanella Move Highway, a 25-mile route via aspen-covered hills that flip brilliant gold in late September. Drivers out of Denver could make a 100-mile loop by utilizing the two-lane street to attach two highways.
After Georgetown recorded 15,000 automobiles final Sunday, the sheriff’s workplace issued a name for persistence and planning forward. It additionally famous that, beneath restrictions instituted this 12 months to maintain the route clear for emergency automobiles, a automotive parked with any a part of its tires on the pavement of Guanella Move Highway would incur an $87.50 ticket, not counting the tow invoice, Colorado Public Radio reported.
Initially Printed: September 27, 2025 at 2:54 PM PDT
