State approves $238 million in transportation projects; $89 million in Denver metro area

Crews work on the new lanes of the Central 70 Project between Colorado and Brighton boulevards in Denver as traffic drives above on the remaining viaduct in May. The freeway was closed between Washington Street and Interstate 270 to move traffic off the 57-year-old viaduct and onto the new lanes. Both directions of traffic traveled on the lower section as part of the MIle High Shift. The demolition of the old viaduct will begin afterward with the highway projected to be finished in the fall of 2022.
Photos by Christian Murdock, The Gazette
Last week, the Colorado Transportation Commission approved $238 million in funding for critical transportation projects statewide, including more than $89 million for the Denver metro area.
The $238 million is upfront funding included in Senate Bill 260, which Gov. Jared Polis signed into law last month. The transportation funding bill is expected to raise about $5.4 billion over the next 10 years, according to the Colorado Department of Transportation.
“Colorado’s historic transportation legislation is shifting into high gear, with $238 million in funding going toward fixing our roads, helping our economy, and delivering needed improvements to our infrastructure,” Polis said.
“This new bipartisan law is beginning to take hold, improving transportation for every Coloradan.”
Officials said the funding will be used to address three core priorities: Fixing assets, providing more multimodal options and improving safety and vitality of main streets.
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The projects include building mobility hubs along north Interstate 25, expanding the Bustang inter-city bus service and improving the Interstate 70 Eisenhower-Johnson Memorial Tunnels, stretches of Interstate 25 in Colorado Springs and Interstate 76 near Sterling.
“The projects reflect key priorities elevated as part of SB260 and will leverage stimulus funding provided by our legislature to accelerate our economic recovery,” said Shoshana Lew, executive director of the Department of Transportation.
The project list for the Denver metro area includes:
- I-70 Eisenhower-Johnson Memorial Tunnels repairs and maintenance — $50 million
- I-70 noise wall replacements from North Pecos Street to I-76 — $20 million
- Park-n-Ride improvements along I-70 and I-70 Floyd Hill traffic mitigation efforts — $2 million
- I-25 and Highway 7 interchange mobility hub construction — $12.5 million
- I-25 Valley Highway at Burnham Yard improvement — $1.6 million
- Safer Main Streets urban arterials study and implementation of pilot projects — $2.5 million
- Bustang fleet purchases — $625,000