With a sunny and relatively clear forecast for Labor Day across Colorado, thousands of motorists shuttling home from the holiday weekend should see relatively few problems save for traffic congestion.

More importantly, the slowdowns expected along Interstate 70 through lane-limited Glenwood Canyon shouldn’t see any weather concerns like those that caused a shutdown Friday night when flash flood warnings closed the roadway.

When that happens, traffic is normally diverted northward through a snaking alternate route through Meeker, Craig, and Steamboat Springs before heading southward toward Silverthorne.

The National Weather Service forecasts sunny skies for Denver on Monday with a high of 94 and winds gusting to 15 miles per hour. The forecast for Glenwood Springs was for widespread hazy conditions in the afternoon and a high of 87.

There are no calls for showers.

Despite the forecast, the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment’s air pollution control division issued an ozone action alert lasting until 4 p.m. Monday. That means ozone concentrations are unhealthy for certain sensitive groups of people.

The Colorado Department of Transportation expected heavy traffic along I-70’s eastbound lanes throughout the afternoon with delays of up to 45 minutes. Westbound travelers are likely to see increased traffic due to daytrippers, CDOT said.

The heaviest travel day for the Labor Day weekend at the Eisenhower Tunnel is typically Monday, with eastbound lanes last year handling more than 33,000 vehicles, more than double the load the Friday before.

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