The Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT) began construction on the first section of the I-70 Floyd Hill Project on Thursday, July 6. From west of Evergreen to eastern Idaho Springs, this project encompasses an eight mile section of the I-70 Mountain Corridor that acts as an economic gateway for the state of Colorado and the nation. Home to long-time residents, dozens of large and small businesses and tourism traffic, this section of I-70 is in desperate need of improvements. CDOT spent several years studying the corridor, meeting with residents, stakeholders, and community leaders.
The I-70 Floyd Hill project will:
- Add a third westbound I-70 travel lane in this two-lane bottleneck
- This new lane will be a full-time, tolled Express Lane from just west of Homestead Road (Exit 247) through the Veterans Memorial Tunnels to Colorado Blvd./Idaho Springs (Exit 241). - Rebuild bridges due to use, wear and tear, and heavy usage
- Construct a missing two-mile section of the frontage road between US 6 and the Hidden Valley/Central City Parkway interchanges, which will improve emergency response
- Build an extended on-ramp from US 6 onto eastbound I-70 for slow-moving vehicles to have more room to merge
- Improve traffic flow and access at interchanges and intersections
- Improve sight distance and safety by straightening roadway curves
- Improve the Clear Creek Greenway trail
- Implement environmental mitigation to enhance wildlife connectivity, air and water quality, stream conditions and recreation
- Install two permanent air quality monitors
Traffic Impacts - during construction, motorists can expect:
- Occasional daytime traffic holds during rock blasting and rock scaling operations
- Overnight lane closures
- Temporary lane shifts
- Periodic, temporary on- and off-ramp closures
- Periodic, overnight detours in the I-70/US 6 interchange and short-term closures of I-70 for safety critical work
- Occasional daytime 20-minute traffic holds for rock scaling and rock blasting (delays of 45 minutes are anticipated
- Temporary closures of the Clear Creek Greenway trail
Efforts to keep I-70 moving during construction include:
- Keeping all lanes and ramps open during peak traffic hours
- Ensuring lane closures are responsive to current traffic patterns
- Innovating complex work above the roadway so it doesn’t impede traffic
- New roadway sections are being built adjacent to current lanes to keep traffic moving
- Promote the use of transit and carpool options to reduce single occupancy vehicle