Gov. Polis, U.S. Senators Bennet and Hickenlooper, U.S. Rep. Neguse, the I-70 Coalition, the Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT) Director Shoshana Lew and Clear Creek County Commissioner Randy Wheelock, broke ground Thursday, Oct. 20, on the I-70 Floyd Hill project.

The project will rebuild a seven-mile stretch of I-70, from exit 248 northwest of Evergreen to exit 241 in eastern Idaho Springs, and work to eliminate a bottleneck on one of the most congested stretches of the I-70 Mountain Corridor. Early construction begins this fall with projects such as a new wildlife crossing at Genesee and roundabouts along US 40 between Evergreen and Floyd Hill, with major construction on the corridor starting in spring 2023.

“I am thrilled to announce the start of the I-70 Floyd Hill project which will add a lane westbound from the top of Floyd Hill to the I-70 Mountain Express Lane and a climbing lane eastbound from the bottom of Floyd Hill to the Homestead exit,” said Gov. Jared Polis. “These improvements will improve safety, reduce traffic and make it easier and faster for people to access the outdoors and mountain communities.”

The I-70 at Floyd Hill project has received $700 million in state and federal funding and is a part of the Polis administration's 10-year infrastructure plan which will make major advancements for Colorado by improving infrastructure, roads, and bridges across the state. This fall, Gov. Polis announced that Colorado received the largest competitive grant that the state has ever received from the U.S. Department of Transportation for the I-70 at Floyd Hill project.

Project improvements include:

1. Building a third westbound I-70 Mountain Express Lane from the top of Floyd Hill through the Veterans Memorial Tunnels, which will link to the existing westbound I-70 Mountain Express Lane to Empire; this will eliminate severe bottlenecking that currently plagues travel time and reliability at the sudden two-lane segment just over the top of Floyd Hill
2. Completing a new frontage road connection between US 6 and Idaho Springs for greater emergency and detour accessibility
3. Replacing bridges, reconstructing highway interchanges and flattening horizontal curves for improved safety and better sight distance
4. Improving the multimodal Greenway Trail
5. Building wildlife crossings and fencing, and restoring nearby creek and riparian areas to protect and preserve the local environment and wildlife
6. Developing a mobility hub with electric vehicle infrastructure and accessibility options that integrate into the state’s growing I-70 transit service, including the new Pegasus service that was added in May 2022 to the corridor as mitigation for this highway project
7. Providing permanent air quality monitors and coordinating rural broadband access with local communities

The I-70 Coalition was honored to be part of the groundbreaking ceremony and celebrate this milestone for the I-70 Mountain Corridor. This project will improve traffic on the gateway to the mountains and create a safer and faster drive for all users.  Transit options like Bustang and Pegaus will be crucial in getting through the corridor during construction. Learn more at goi70.com/transit. 

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