The Colorado Department Of Transportation Wins Again

Traffic was backed up on Hampden (285) far worse than usual this morning. Sure, the morning rush hour in the Denver metro area has become quite nightmarish over the past few years, but this morning was worse than nightmarish - it was Hellish.

The usual thoughts raced through my mind as I muddled along with the few thousand other cars doing what seemed like 10 minute miles: 

"Man, I hope it's not a serious accident," and "Man, if it is, I hope nobody has been injured."

I always address myself as "Man" whenever I'm contemplating congested traffic.

But low and behold...it wasn't a traffic accident that was impeding the flow of traffic on Hampden (285) this morning...it was the Colorado Department of Transportation.

        That is a Colorado Department of Transportation truck - see the decals on the door and bed?

Just about 8:35 I passed this Colorado Department of Transportation truck alerting morning rush hour drivers that street sweeping operations were underway.

About ten minutes and half a mile further down the road I encountered the street sweeping operation itself. 

Three trucks in the far left lane of Hampden (285) - the one in the rear again alerting morning rush hour drivers to the street sweeping operation, the street sweeper itself, and in front of both of those, a dump truck.

                               Apologies for the dirty windshield - it rained on Sunday

                            Gotta make sure the morning rush hour commuters have clean streets

I tried to contact the Colorado Department of Transportation Safety & Traffic Engineering offices to find out why in the wide, wide, world of sports they had determined that the morning rush hour was the best time to be sweeping one of the main transportation arteries, but the phone number listed for that office on the CDOT web page (303-757-9662) was answered by a recording that stated the number was not functioning at the moment, and to try again later.

So I rooted about the CDOT website for other numbers to call, and I found one for the CDOT Commission Secretary, one Herman Stockinger (303-757-9077) but he wasn't answering his phone. Listed right below his number however, was the number for the Commission Liaison, and when I called that number (303-757-9025) it was answered - by the Commission Liaison, who proceeded to tell me that CDOT did not conduct street sweeping operations, and that she had no idea why the Hampden (285) street sweeping operation was going on, but if I would give her my name and number she would look into it and have someone call me with pertinent information.

Maybe an hour or so later I received a call from a gentleman who told that A) CDOT only conducts street sweeping operations at night, and that B) If there was a street sweeping operation going on this morning it may have been due to crews cleaning up after an accident.

I looked at the pictures I took of the street sweeping operation and told the gentleman that it was rather apparent that A) a street sweeping operation was going on during this morning's rush hour, and B) there was no accident, just a street sweeping operation.

I also mentioned that this was the second time I'd encountered a CDOT morning rush hour street sweeping operation.

See this post of 07/17/2017: -https://cbakunasart.blogspot.com/2017/07/the-colorado-department-of.html

To cut to the chase, this gentleman told me he'd get back to me with the reason the street sweeping operation was being conducted during the morning rush hour...tomorrow morning.