This stretch of I-25 through Larimer County is among nation's deadliest over Thanksgiving

Miles Blumhardt, Fort Collins Coloradoan
·3 min read
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Thanksgiving is one of the busiest — and most dangerous — times to travel by vehicle in Colorado and around the country, and a stretch of road in Larimer County ranks among the nation's most dangerous.

The approximately 40 miles of Interstate 25 that run through the county have seen nine fatalities during the Thanksgiving holiday (Wednesday through Sunday) from 2001 to 2021, according to TruckInfo.net, which used data from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

Interstate 15 through San Bernardino County in California has been the deadliest in that period with 16 fatalities during that stretch.

This year, an expected 49 million Americans will travel by vehicle at least 50 miles for the Thanksgiving holiday, according to AAA.

Colorado's deadliest highway stretches over the Thanksgiving holiday

According to TruckInfo, net, here are Colorado's deadliest stretches from 2001 to 2021 were:

  1. I-25 in Larimer County: 9

  2. I-70 in Lincoln County: 4

  3. Colorado Highway 9 in Grand County: 4

  4. I-70 in Eagle County: 3

  5. U.S. Highway 50 in Gunnison County: 3

I-25 between Fort Collins and Denver among most congested for Thanksgiving

According to AAA, the worst time to drive Interstate 25 between Fort Collins and Denver over the holiday is 5:45 p.m. Friday. It said the trip will take you 1 hour, 37 minutes, which is 27% above a typical commute.

The Wednesday before the holiday is typically the busiest vehicle travel day nationally.

Colorado to open I-70 mountain express lanes for Thanksgiving period

Wednesday through Sunday during Thanksgiving week, the I-70 mountain express lanes will be open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. (and later if needed) for westbound traffic and 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. for eastbound traffic.

Colorado's Thanksgiving travel weather forecast calls for mixed bag

  • Wednesday, Nov. 22: Little to no traffic issues.

  • Thursday, Nov. 23 (Thanksgiving): Snow and slick roads possible in the evening.

  • Friday, Nov. 24: Slick travel and snow likely with much colder temperatures.

  • Saturday, Nov. 25: Linger snow and travel impacts with drier conditions later in the day.

Source: National Weather Service

Where Colorado ranks in Thanksgiving travel fatalities

Colorado ranks eighth worst among states with 2.75 deaths per million miles of travel during the five-day Thanksgiving period, according to TruckInfo.com.

Louisiana was the worst state with 6.05 deaths per million miles of travel. New Mexico was second worst at 4.25 deaths per million miles of travel.

Top 5 causes of fatal crashes nationally over the Thanksgiving holiday

  1. Driving impaired: 34%

  2. Speeding: 31%

  3. Distracted driver: 9%

  4. Drowsy driver: 2%

  5. Police pursuit: 1%

Colorado's holidays with the most traffic fatalities

Thanksgiving has over the last two years been the deadliest holiday travel period in Colorado with 26 fatalities. But summer holidays have proven more deadly over the past decade:

  1. Labor Day: 83

  2. Fourth of July: 82

  3. Thanksgiving: 61

  4. Christmas: 50

  5. Memorial Day: 48

  6. New Years: 42

This article originally appeared on Fort Collins Coloradoan: Stretch of Interstate 25 among nation's deadliest over Thanksgiving