Motorists on Interstate 70 and other mountain passes should prepare for heavy traffic again this weekend, according to the Colorado Department of Transportation. 

With as much as 50 inches of snow accumulating over the past week in some areas, the combination of fresh powder and bluebird conditions is likely to send skiers to the mountains in droves, with metering expected at the Eisenhower-Johnson Memorial Tunnels. 

According to the agency, the weekend after President’s Day last year saw five hours of traffic metering for eastbound travelers lasting until 10 p.m. that Saturday, with around 2,900 vehicles passing through the tunnel every hour.

This weekend, CDOT expects 3,000 vehicles per hour will travel through the tunnel on Sunday afternoon. 

Friday traffic is projected to peak from 5-8 p.m. on westbound I-70 starting at Floyd Hill. On Saturday, the heaviest travel periods could be 6-8 a.m. heading westbound and 2-6 p.m. eastbound starting at the tunnels. Sunday traffic is expected to be heavy eastbound from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. 

The warning comes after multiple days of blizzard conditions led to hours-long closures and delays on the I-70 mountain corridor and other critical roadways over the past week.