Colorado Department of Transportation maintenance crews have launched an early push to clear dry vegetation along highways to reduce the chance that sparks or cigarette butts from passing vehicles might ignite fast-moving fires this summer.

With CDOT meteorologists forecasting above-normal wildfire potential — particularly in the mountains and foothills — the department is ramping up mowing, brush removal and herbicide treatments on high-risk corridors while coordinating with local fire agencies and pre-positioning equipment for quick response.

“Our highway corridors run through some of the most fire-prone landscapes in the country,” said Bob Fifer, CDOT’s deputy director of operations. “We have a responsibility not only to keep roads open, but to make sure our right of way isn’t contributing to the fire problem. This year, with drought conditions already taking hold across Colorado, we’re moving earlier and working harder to get ahead of the risk.”

Dry, unmowed grass and dense brush along shoulders remain common starting points for roadside blazes. A single spark from a trailer chain dragging on the pavement can ignite dry vegetation.

That risk played out in the 2020 Grizzly Creek fire along I-70 in Glenwood Canyon, which burned more than 32,000 acres and closed the highway for weeks, and in a 2024 brush fire between Eagle and Wolcott on I-70 that officials attributed to dragging safety chains.

Colorado law prohibits throwing lit cigarettes or other burning materials from vehicles on the highways. Travelers should never pull over or park in dry grass, where hot exhaust or catalytic converters can easily start a fire, according to CDOT.

Crews have already begun accelerated work in elevated fire threat zones identified by the Colorado Division of Fire Prevention and Control. Those stretches run from El Paso and Teller counties north to Larimer County, from Jefferson County west to Garfield County, and across southwestern counties including Montezuma, La Plata, Archuleta, Dolores and San Miguel, said the agency in a release.

The department said it is also expanding mechanical brush removal and herbicide applications to create defensible fire breaks. On mountain routes such as U.S. Highway 6, Colorado Highway 72, U.S. Highway 160, U.S. Highway 285 and portions of Interstate 70, treatments are being coordinated with federal and local land managers to extend protection beyond CDOT right of way where feasible.

CDOT plans to nearly double overall vegetation management spending this year by redirecting $12 million in unspent snowplow funds from the mild winter, according to Stacia Sellers, spokesperson for the department. That money will be used primarily to hire contractors for targeted tree removal.

Regional maintenance centers have established direct communication with county emergency managers, the Colorado State Patrol and local fire departments. Equipment has been pre-positioned in areas where roadways could become critical for evacuations or suppression efforts, said the release

CDOT said it has updated closure and traffic management protocols with the Colorado Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Management. Variable message signs, alternate routes and public alerts will be deployed rapidly if fires threaten highways, with real-time information available through COtrip.org.