State lawmakers have failed to reach a compromise over requiring snow tires on Interstate 70 in the mountains during the winter.
A committee was appointed to work out differences between the House and Senate versions of the bill. A bill requiring snow tires or chains for passenger vehicles passed the House last month. But it was watered down in the Senate to require only a study of the idea.
Sen. Randy Baumgardner, R-Hot Sulfur Springs, said the state Department of Transportation already has ways to regulate traffic and require snow chains.
“They don’t need us to tell them how to do that, they already do that," Baumgardner said. "They can do it at any given time.”
However, bill supporters say CDOT's regulations only go into effect after traffic jams and accidents begin. The bill moves back to the House where lawmakers can decide to accept the watered down Senate version, or vote down the bill.
