More operational improvements are coming to the I-70 Mountain Corridor with the upcoming groundbreaking of the westbound Mountain Express Lane. This project will create a wider shoulder that, during peak period travel, will operate as a third lane. Like the eastbound Mountain Express Lane (which Goi70.com discussed in a blog post earlier this year), the westbound lane will be tolled and dynamically priced to keep traffic moving. Once completed, it will stretch from just east of mile marker 242 in Idaho Springs to mile marker 231, just west of the US-40 turn off. You can learn more about it by clicking here.

Construction of the project is slated to begin in July, and we know I-70 travelers have questions regarding the timeline and potential impacts. We are happy to report the following:

• -There won’t be any work in the I-70 corridor for Fourth of July and Labor Day long-weekends
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• -Most of the work to build the westbound I-70 Mountain Express Lane can be done while keeping two westbound lanes open to minimize the impact on traffic flow
   
• -CDOT has targeted late 2020 as the Mountain Express Lane’s date of completion. Following that will be a test of the lane’s operations system, and then a launch.
   
• -There are other concurrent projects with shorter timeframes that are scheduled for this Summer too. These include the construction of the Georgetown Gateway along Argentine Street, bike path construction near Georgetown, a mill and overlay project on Loveland Pass, chip seal repairs along State Highway 103 and ramp and wall construction at the Silver Plume exit
   
• -CDOT is working to coordinate communication activities for all of these different I-70 related projects. The hope is that there will be a one-stop-shop for all impactful information and travel updates

The goal of organizing information for all of these projects is to minimize public inconvenience and help people better plan their travels through the I-70 Mountain Corridor. Once project communication pathways are more clearly developed and fully integrated, we will link all informational resources, and share all project updates as they come, and as they impact you. In the meantime, continue to check our weekly Travel Forecast and CoTrip.org to know before you go.

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