Two different crashes involving a total of at least 24 vehicles led to long delays for travelers on Interstate 70 Friday evening.
According to Colorado State Patrol, both crashes happened around 5:15 p.m. on eastbound I-70 about 4 miles west of Silver Plume. The first crash involved at least nine vehicles and the second crash involved at least 15 vehicles, CSP said.
One person who was involved in the 9-vehicle crash was transported to the hospital and two other people involved in that crash said they were hurt but did not want to go to the hospital. CSP said there no other injuries.
Eastbound I-70 was closed for about 2 hours and 45 minutes between US 6 and Silver Plume due to the crashes.
CSP said that there were winter driving conditions in the mountains and urged travelers to stay home or delay their travel, if possible.
A Winter Weather Advisory is up for the mountains for Friday, as 4-8 inches of snow is expected above 7,500 feet in elevation. The steadiest and heaviest snow will fall for a relatively brief period between 5 p.m. and midnight.
The rain and snow will wrap up statewide early on Saturday morning, setting the stage for a dry and warm weekend.