COMMERCE CITY, Colo. — Tuesday night, Commerce City residents will have their last chance to share concerns or ask questions about a proposed I-270 project.
The Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT) told Denver7 it wants to improve the corridor, which hasn't been touched since it was originally built in the 60s.
"It's been a problem for a very long time," said Jackie Valdez, who lives close to I-270 on the west side. She uses the interstate often and admits it could use some work. "There's a lot of dips in the highway, a lot of low-grade areas, so the highway becomes very unsafe. So it does need to be repaired and fixed."
Those low-gradea areas and dips in the highway is what CDOT is currently working on. They want to improve traveler and first responder safety and congestion on the corridor.
Stacia Sellers, a CDOT spokesperson, told Denver7 that would include adding one express lane in each direction as part of the I-270 improvement project.
Freight makes up 17% of the corridor's daily traffic, according to CDOT, and I-270 is the only designated hazardous materials route through Central Denver.
Valdez feels it.
"You can step out your front door and actually smell and taste it, and it burns your eyes, it burns your nose, burns your throat," she said.
She's talking about all the diesel gas plumes wafting through her neighborhood. That's one of the reasons she doesn't want the project improvements to be all about pushing trucks through more quickly. Instead, she wants different and more environmentally-friendly modes of transportation considered.
"We are doing an environmental impact statement process right now for the I-270 corridor," Sellers said, when asked about Valdez's concerns.
The study showed adding express lanes would allow for carpooling, and some community enhancements they have in mind would make it easier for bicyclists and pedestrians to move through.
"It also requires a lot of different, extensive technical analysis. So, you know, we're looking at air pollution, water quality, you know, impacts to nearby residents," Sellers said. "We're studying it all to understand, you know, what the potential impacts could be, and then proposing a project that will best meet the needs of the community and help to not increase air pollution or have any impacts to water quality."
The community can share their concerns and feedback Tuesday night during a public hearing from 5-8 p.m. at Adams City High School in Commerce City.
If this project is ultimately approved, Sellers said construction would start at the end of 2027.
