Construction on I-70 Floyd Hill project starts this month

Rock-blasting tra c holds slated for August through February

BY CORINNE WESTEMAN CWESTEMAN@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM

After a few years’ reprieve, Clear Creek residents and commuters to the mountains are bracing for another multi-year stretch of Interstate 70 construction.

e Colorado Department of Transportation and its contractor are kicking o major construction on the $700 million Floyd Hill project later this month, with work scheduled to last through the end of 2028.

However, CDOT o cials said there should be minimal tra c impacts during construction, while the payo s will be tremendous.

e project will improve travel times and safety between County Road 65 and Idaho Springs, as crews add a westbound express lane and atten curves through the canyon, CDOT o cials said during a June 7 telephone town hall.

It won’t create any new tunnels, but it will require cutting into rock faces along the canyon to straighten out the route, they said.

Work in the eastern section will start this month and last through summer 2026; then the western section will start this fall and last through fall 2027; and nally, the central section will be underway next spring and last through the end of 2028.

Overall, CDOT o cials said they’re “going to leave the area better than it is today.”

Local tra c impacts

During the four-and-a-half years of construction, crews will keep all lanes and ramps open during peak tra c hours. Lane closures will only take place overnight, and on- and o -ramps will have temporary closures during non-peak times. e agency and contractor Kraemer North America are partnering with Clear Creek’s emergency services to ensure their vehicles have quick access through the construction zone and any related tra c, Kraemer’s Area Manager Matt Hogan stated.

Project Director Kurt Kionka and other CDOT o cials said the biggest travel impact will be occasional rock-blasting tra c holds. Crews will rock-blast in the eastern section from August through February. ese will be during non-peak daytime hours, with 20-minute holds that could create 45-minute delays. e blasts will be no more than twice a week, and not on the same day.

Kionka and his colleagues said these rock-blasting holds and all other tra c impacts will be communicated in advance, and they encouraged people to sign up for text and/or email alerts.

During the June 7 telephone town hall, locals asked about whether this Floyd Hill project would impact emergency services and the seasonal sun-glare closures.

CDOT o cials con rmed the project won’t change the highway’s alignment enough to impact the sun-glare closures, so those will still take place seasonally.

Another Floyd Hill resident asked about the ongoing roundabout construction along U.S. 40 adjacent to I-70, with CDOT o cials con rming that both roundabouts should be done by early 2024.

Kionka and Hogan also assured locals that they will have an emergency egress in case of a wild re.