By MIKE CORN

mcorn@dailynews.net

Winter weather systems put in place by the Kansas Department of Transportation worked as they should, agency officials said.

But there often was a lag time between when events happened and when they were reflected on KDOT's KanRoad Web system.

Interstate 70 was closed Thursday evening at the Kansas-Colorado line because of blizzard conditions in Colorado. Other roads in the far northwest portion of the state were closed as well, including U.S. Highway 36 heading west from St. Francis and U.S. Highway 40 west from Sharon Springs.

Similar blizzard conditions existed in Kansas as well. While many of the roads were either completely or partially snowpacked, most still were passable.

KDOT's crossing arms -- much like those seen on railroad crossings -- were lowered at Goodland and at Colby, according to KDOT spokesman Kristen Brands.

Persistent problems with variable message boards, those lighted signs that announce conditions ahead, finally were resolved and were used to alert motorists that I-70 was closed at Colby for westbound traffic.

Brands said the message boards announced the closing as far east as Salina.

The idea of the signs, she said, is to alert people the highway is closed, and they should be prepared to make arrangements for overnight accommodations.

"We're just trying to get ahead of the game," she said of how road-closed conditions often will retreat to the east.

Frequently, the highway is closed well in advance of the sour road conditions simply because motels fill to capacity.

There were glitches, to be sure, as KDOT's Web site for a time Friday morning showed I-70 was closed at Oakley. Brands said the highway was only closed as far east as Colby, however.

Soon after the interstate was reopened, the 511 Web site also showed the road was closed from Goodland west.

The announcement that all roads in Kansas were back open came at 10:25 a.m. Friday, a condition that was reflected on the Web site.

Brands said there were some manpower issues involving the inputting of data into the system. Some of the data came from people out in the field, who also were entering road closed information into the construction fields.

Despite a few glitches, Brands said the system worked overall.

"I just feel like we got everyone pulled over safely last night," Brands said Friday.

KHP Trooper Tod Hileman agreed.

"Really, it's been pretty uneventful," he said, noting there was only one minor accident when a motorist slid into a guardrail.

What isn't so clear, however, is how local traffic will be handled when the road-closed signs on I-70 are lowered in areas away from the treacherous road conditions to accommodate motel space.

In a nutshell, the answer is: It depends.

"We'll let local traffic get home if the road is good enough," Hileman said.

If road conditions are treacherous, even local traffic will be halted.

That's a decision to be made on a case-by-case decision, based on the conditions of the road at specific locations.

For the most part, Hileman said, a trooper will be manning the gates leading up to the interstate when the road-closed signs are down.

Emergencies, Hileman said, might force a trooper to leave the gate. But generally, local law enforcement will be on hand until a trooper returns.