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I-70 Floyd Hill Project

Alice Carmody

After moving to Colorado in 1993 and working at a title company, I pursued a career in real estate...

After moving to Colorado in 1993 and working at a title company, I pursued a career in real estate...

Jun 30 8 minutes read


I-70 Floyd Hill Project Update

Week of Sept. 24

Next week, there will be no rock blasting operations or traffic holds along eastbound and westbound I-70. Rock blasting operations will resume the week of Oct. 8. For updates on rock blasting and traffic impacts, text floydhill (one word, lowercase) to 21000.

Starting in early October, expect traffic impacts to the I-70 Mountain Express Lanes as crews prepare for construction in the Central (middle of Floyd Hill to the Hidden Valley interchange) and West (Hidden Valley interchange to eastern Idaho Springs) sections of the I-70 Floyd Hill Project.

Additionally, a portion of the Clear Creek Greenway trail will close long-term starting at 6 a.m., Monday, Oct. 2 for utility work. For more information on the trail closures, check out this webpage. 

I-70 Ramp Closure at Homestead Road

  • The eastbound I-70 off-ramp to Homestead Road (Exit 247) will be closed overnight for drainage work. Detour: Continue on eastbound I-70, turn around using the El Rancho interchange (Exit 251) and then use the westbound I-70 off-ramp to CR 65 (Exit 248) and US 40 to access Homestead Road. 

    • Overnight 6 p.m. to 6 a.m., Monday, Sept. 25 through Thursday, Sept. 28.

For access to Homestead Road, continue east on I-70, turn around using the El Rancho interchange (exit 251) and use the westbound I-70 off-ramp to CR 65 (exit 248).

I-70 Lane Closures

  • Overnight double left lane closures on westbound I-70 between CR 65 (Exit 248) and US 6 (Exit 244) for roadway repairs. 

    • Overnight 8 p.m. to 6 a.m., Monday, Sept. 25

Clear Creek Greenway Trail Closure

  • Beginning 6 a.m., Monday, Oct. 2, trail users can expect a long-term closure of the Clear Creek Greenway Trail between the US 6 (exit 244) and Hidden Valley (exit 243) interchanges for utility work in this area. This trail will be an active construction zone and will be unsafe for travel. Other segments of the trail will remain open. Please plan ahead and continue to check the I-70 Floyd Hill's Clear Creek Greenway Trail webpage prior to using the train.
The Clear Creek Greenway Trail will be closed from US 6 (exit 244) to Hidden Valley/Central City (exit 243). There is an alternate parking location and access to open trail at Game Check Station Trailhead and Park. 

I-70 Mountain Express Lane Closures

  • Beginning at 9 p.m., Wednesday, Oct. 11 through Friday, Oct. 27, the Mountain Express Lanes (MEXL) will be closed for two weeks on eastbound and westbound I-70. Crews will be working to move the tolling point in preparation for upcoming work in the West Section. This includes MEXL closures over two weekends. After the hard closure completes, nightly closures of MEXL are anticipated to complete this work.

I-70 Floyd Hill Design Work 

  • 7 p.m. to 7 a.m., Sunday, Sept. 24 through Friday, Sept. 29 - Expect lane and shoulder closures on eastbound and westbound I-70 for geotech work between MP 242 and 246. 

I-70 Mountain Corridor-Wide Traffic Impacts 

  • Reduced speed limits as low as 45 mph, narrower lanes and shoulders, and increased truck traffic entering and exiting the work zones. Heed the speed limit, do not follow trucks into the work zone, go slow for the cone zone and do not drive distracted. 
  • Motorists should expect daytime and nighttime shoulder closures on westbound I-70 for utility work. 
  • All construction activities are weather-dependent and subject to change. For real-time travel information, visit COTrip.org.

About the Project

The I-70 Floyd Hill project, from west of Evergreen to eastern Idaho Springs, 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, and drafting potential solutions for this corridor whose aging infrastructure is long overdue for replacement. Now, with support from stakeholders and national leaders, construction of the I-70 Floyd Hill project is underway and began with its early projects.   

Project Facts

  • Estimated Construction Cost: $700 million 
  • Contractor: Kraemer North America
  • Timeline: June 2023 to 2028
  • Location: Westbound I-70 from east of the Floyd Hill/Beaver Brook exit to Colorado Blvd.
    • Nearest Town: Idaho Springs
    • Mile Points: 241 to 248
    • County: Clear Creek County

Rendering of the completed I-70 Floyd Hill Project’s Central Section looking north

Rendering of the completed I-70 Floyd Hill project’s Central Section looking south

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

The Project has been designed and will be constructed in three main geographic sections shown on the map below. 

Floyd Hill Project Section Map

Project Benefits

  • Address the bottleneck on I-70 at Floyd Hill and improve travel time reliability
  • Rebuild bridges to today’s safety standards
  • Improve traffic flow and access at interchanges and intersections
  • Improve design speeds and stopping sight distance on horizontal curves
  • Implement environmental mitigation to enhance wildlife connectivity, air and water quality, stream conditions and recreation

Work Schedule

  • Construction on the East Section (I-70 from County Road 65 to the bottom of Floyd Hill) will begin in June 2023 and last until summer of 2026.
  • Construction on the West Section (I-70 from Hidden Valley to Idaho Springs) will begin in fall 2023 and last until fall 2027.
  • Construction on the Central Section (I-70 from the middle of Floyd Hill to Hidden Valley) will begin in spring 2024 and last until the end of 2028.

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

~CDOT

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