The Craig Daily Press reports that local businesses saw significant increases in sales in the last four days while the Glenwood Canyon rockslide forced much of Interstate 70’s through traffic to detour along U.S. 40.

Shops and motels got a bump from a near doubling in traffic, local officials said. This is testimony to the economic impact of transportation infrastructure on the community.

The Steamboat Pilot reports that after a fall season that has been nightmarish for some downtown businesses, talks are under way about how to better plan for effects of spring construction on Lincoln Avenue.

The Colorado Department of Transportation and Scott Contracting are wrapping up fall’s portion of the major resurfacing and improvement project that’s moving in stages between Third and 13th streets. Work on a box culvert at Seventh Street concluded Thursday morning, and the last day of work until spring likely is Nov. 13, a week away.

That day can’t come fast enough for some downtown business owners, who said they were not prepared for the scope of the project’s impacts, including road closures for five consecutive blocks and a lack of downtown parking.

Go to the Steamboat Pilot to read the entire article.

Berthoud Pass has been closed to traffic since 12:39 p.m. because of an accident involving a semi-truck, according to the Colorado Department of Transportation’s road conditions web site, cotrip.org.

Through traffic is advised to detour by way of CO 9 between Interstate 70 and Kremmling.

The Colorado Department of Transportation’s spending of federal stimulus money on road projects so far has been spread over 25 contractors, who are handling 40 projects either completed, under construction or under contract.

Another seven projects have money allocated to them under the Obama Administration’s American Recovery and Reinvestment Act.

Figures from the end of August show that CDOT has allocated $293.6 million out of its $330 million share of the total of $403.9 million in highway stimulus money coming to state, county and local governments.

Colorado easily met the federal deadline of committing at least half of its stimulus transportation funding allocation by late June. In fact, Colorado met that halfway mark on May 7, according to information from the U.S. Department of Transportation.