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"I-70 Things," the intersection between Colorado's communities and travel

The west-bound lane of I-70 outside of Glenwood Canyon.
Hattison Rensberry
/
KDNK
The west-bound lane of I-70 outside of Glenwood Canyon.

In the over 2,000 mile stretch of Interstate 70, the section between Glenwood Springs and Denver tends to draw a lot of attention.

With frequent closures, especially in recent years, the affected area has gained a lot of news coverage, and an Instagram page.

According to a Pew Research survey from 2021, approximately half of Americans get at least some of their news from social media.

Although platforms like Instagram, Facebook, and Reddit can be rife with misinformation, in some cases the people managing the pages want travelers to be aware of safety concerns or road conditions.

That is the case with “I-70 Things.”

Now an outdoor media brand, the page began as a collection of the strange and unusual happenings on a road that often features standstill traffic.

As the page has evolved there are still goofy antics and strange things strapped to small cars, but now the community submissions include up close and personal videos of dangerous driving and jackknifed semi-trucks. 

Alejandro Brown, brand-founder, says the I-70 corridor is important to locals and tourists alike. 

"The consistency of these (road) closures, right, and how it affects every day people to do basic things. It's not just tourists, for example, going skiing all the time driving in Colorado, I mean it affects the locals, and it affects us whenever it happens because we need to live our lives," said Brown.

With a detour that adds more than two and a half hours, Coloradans are committing to more than just taking the scenic route when traveling across the state without monitoring road conditions on CDOT or other sources.

Followers of the page often thank Brown for helping to inform their travel plans.


In the future, Brown intends to bring I-70 Things into further collaboration with transportation services and with outdoor brands.

Another favorite submission Brown received recently was the video of Carbondale-based band Elk Range serenading a snowy crowd of travelers in stalled-traffic.
You can view the whole song here.
Copyright 2023 KDNK. To see more, visit KDNK.

This story was shared via Rocky Mountain Community Radio, a network of public media stations in Colorado, Wyoming, Utah and New Mexico including Aspen Public Radio.

Hattison Rensberry grew up in Rifle, CO and earned her bachelor’s degree in graphic design and drawing at the University of Northern Colorado. She comes to KDNK as reporter and host after working on the design-side of news for the past three years. Hattie does theater locally, photography, needlecrafts, and also provides editorial design for the Sopris Sun.