Governor Polis kicks off $700 million in I-70 improvement projects on Floyd Hill
Gov. Jared Polis, accompanied by U.S. Senators Michael Bennet, John Hickenlooper, U.S. Rep. Joe Neguse and other state and local officials met at the Floyd Hill Open Space Trails parking lot Wednesday to kick off $700 million in improvements to I-70 along the Floyd Hill corridor.
The state received a $100,000,000 Nationally Significant Multimodal Freight and Highway Projects grant program award from the federal government in September.
The projects will address one of the most congested areas on the westbound I-70 mountain corridor that extends from just east of Floyd Hill through the Veterans Memorial Tunnels in Idaho Springs.
The plan includes, among other improvements, adding a climbing lane to the eastbound side of the hill for heavy, slow trucks. A third lane downhill lane on the westbound side will also be added.
One of the major intents, according to CDOT, is to make improvements through the canyon between U.S. 6 and the tunnels at Idaho Springs to straightening out curves, including the sometimes-deadly 90-degree left turn at the bottom of the hill, to keep traffic moving at a steady 55 mph, which CDOT says will increase safety, smooth traffic flow, and protect wildlife habitat, as well as improving recreational opportunities with trail and bike path enhancements.
A frontage road between the Central City Parkway and U.S.6 will eliminate the need for drivers headed to and from Central City via U.S. 6 to merge with interstate traffic for just a mile and a half.
CDOT said work begins this fall on a wildlife underpass near Genesee and two roundabouts along US 40 at County Road 65 and Homestead Road.
Major construction to revamp I-70 between Floyd Hill, west of Evergreen, and the Veterans Memorial Tunnel in eastern Idaho Springs is expected to begin in the summer of 2023.
Traffic impacts on winter skiing traffic both this winter and through the estimated completion date by the end of 2027 are unclear at this time.
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