UPDATE on Friday afternoon, July 30. This is from Routt County Clerk and Recorder, Kim Bonner.

For those of you who are fed up with the additional traffic every time Glenwood Canyon closes, this may make you feel better.  Routt County Clerk & Recorder, Kim Bonner, explained the County receives an apportioned share of license fees paid by truckers who are part of the International Registry Plan.

The International Registration Plan (IRP) is a registration reciprocity agreement among the states of the U.S. and provinces of Canada, providing the payment of license fees on the basis of total distance operated in all jurisdictions. Each carrier is required to pay registration fees for the state or provinces where they will travel and conduct business. IRP allows the carrier to submit a single application to a single base state for all jurisdictions for which the carrier operates.

Up until June, 2020, the County Treasurer’s office receipted and tracked the amount of money remitted to Routt County.  When the County Clerk’s office took over that process beginning in June of last year, we started tracking it monthly.  For the last six months of 2020, we collected $123,867.  This year to date, we have collected over $233,446.  In 2020, Glenwood Canyon closed two times, one was a particularly long closure due to a wildfire.  That wildfire has caused the Canyon to close six times this year, sometimes just hours apart. 

Under the IRP, truckers based out of Colorado sport a red and white “apportioned” plate, and truckers based out of other States have their own apportioned plate.  They report and remit to each state they travel through on a monthly basis.  This fee goes up with more traffic and is distributed the same as property tax and ownership tax you pay on your vehicles.  Every taxing entity (including municipalities and special districts) who imposes a mill levy receives their proportionate share of these fees, referred to as Class A Specific Ownership Tax. 

It may not be much, but it’s better than a poke in the eye with a sharp stick!

 

I-70 traffic is expected to again be rerouted all weekend through Northwest Colorado. That’s because the interstate is closed in Glenwood Canyon again because of mudslides.

Mike Goolsby is the Region 3 Director with the Colorado Dept. of Transportation. He is aware of the extra traffic in Northwest Colorado and how it is also taking a toll on the roads. He says they know that additional maintenance will have to be done up here.

 

Regarding the I-70 closure, CDOT’s website today says: Motorists should plan for an EXTENDED CLOSURE and should use the recommended northern alternate route:

Check with CDOT if you are headed in that direction. Updates are at COTRIP.org

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Forecast from Denver 7: Heavy rain is moving into Colorado over the next 24 hours. Flash Flood Watches are in effect through Saturday night in our northern, central, and southern mountains. Link to more

Statewide news coverage:

From 9News: I-70 detour traffic causes headaches in Steamboat Springs

From KDVR Fox 31: Mudslide detours cause bumper-to-bumper traffic in mountain towns. 

 

Video of traffic through downtown Steamboat Springs on July 23