S T E A M B O AT
TODAY
THURSDAY
OCTOBER 1, 2009
Steamboat Springs, Colorado
®
Vol. 21, No. 235
RO U T T
S T E A M B O AT S P R I N G S
C O U N T Y ’ S
DA I LY
N E W S PA P E R
Traffic ties up town Emergency responders work with construction crews to negotiate vehicle congestion
Election approaching
Zach Fridell
Voter registration deadline for this year’s election is less than a week away
PILOT & TODAY STAFF
STEAMBOAT SPRINGS
Page 3
S T E A M B O AT S P R I N G S
Absentees decline Steamboat Springs Middle School could see attendance rebound Page 4
SPORTS
Sailors fall in OT Page 20
Briefs . . . . . . . . .10 Classifieds . . . . .26 Colorado. . . . . . .16 Comics . . . . . . . .24 Crossword . . . . .25 Happenings . . . . .7
MATT STENSLAND/STAFF
Vehicles clog the westbound lane of U.S. Highway 40 during Tuesday’s after-work rush. Work on U.S. 40 has tied up traffic, causing delays for emergency responders and everyone else in town.
■ LOTTO
■ INDEX Horoscope . . . . .24 Scoreboard. . . . .23 Sports. . . . . . . . .20 ViewPoints . . . . . .8 Weather . . . . . . .35 World . . . . . . . . .17
FREE
Wednesday night’s Powerball numbers: 41-42-52-54-57 30 Lotto numbers: 1-5-23-28-29-38 Cash 5 numbers: 4-10-18-29-31
■ WEATHER
Breezy with snow in the morning. High of 46.
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With traffic backed up for blocks during rush hour near the 13th Street construction zone this week, Routt County emergency responders quickly realized they need a plan to get through the traffic tangle. Mel Stewart, acting fire chief for Steamboat Springs Fire Rescue, said he is talking with construction coordinators to get continuous updates and move emergency workers through the traffic as quickly as possible. “I’ve driven through there twice today on routine errands and it’s actually not bad during the day,” he said Wednesday. “Our concern, which I think everybody’s kind of concerned about, is between 4 and 6 (p.m.) when it’s time to go home.” Initial reports from the Colorado Department of Transportation stated that delays of about 10 minutes could be expected, but on Tuesday and Wednesday mornings, those delays lasted much longer. CDOT spokeswoman Nancy Shanks said that construction crews worked Wednesday to improve traffic flow and by Wednesday evening, the traffic flow was changed. Both directions of travel initially were reduced to one lane, but Shanks said crews on Wednesday reopened westbound lanes and a left-turn lane onto 13th Street. “That should help a lot, espeSee Traffic, back page
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