(COLORADO) — If you’re gearing up to hit the road for the mountains this weekend, pack your patience as the Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT) expects heavy traffic on I-70 and U.S. Highway 40—more commonly known as Berthoud Pass.

The news comes as ski and snowboard enthusiasts are expected to crowd the slopes after recent snowfall in the high country. On Friday, Jan. 19, CDOT said it had cleared five feet of new snow along with several bank slides on Berthoud Pass over the past week, as the arctic blast made its way through Colorado.

“This past storm was comparable to what we experienced in 2019 with the bomb cyclone event,” said John Lorme, CDOT’s Director of Maintenance and Operations. “Though we did not see the same impacts to our urban corridors and eastern plains that we did in 2019, we saw the same kind of intensity and snow totals.”

Since Friday, Jan. 12, many ski resorts have seen up to 60 inches of snow, and Berthoud Pass was closed for several days as crews worked to clear the roadways.

“For this team, our mission matters most,” stated Lorme. “While the closures this past week were an inconvenience to motorists, we are proud of the proactive measures we took to close the roads when the conditions were unsafe.”

CDOT said its crews continue their work to keep the roadways clear as on Friday morning, according to CDOT, a foot of new snow was in the forecast.

“Our crews flourish in events like these and our men and women continue to prove that they have what it takes to take on Mother Nature and defend the public against what it brings,” Lorme said.