CLEAR CREEK COUNTY — CLEAR CREEK COUNTY, Colo. — Denver7 got a first look at near-complete eastern section of the I-70 Floyd Hill Project, as well as a behind-the-scenes tour of the next steps in the massive project.
The Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT) has completed the first phase of its $905 million construction project on the Floyd Hill corridor between Evergreen and Idaho Springs, aimed at reducing ski traffic congestion and improving safety on one of Colorado's most notorious highway stretches.
The Floyd Hill project addresses a section of I-70 known for its tight curves and traffic bottlenecks that have plagued drivers. In 2022, the year before construction began, Colorado State Patrol (CSP) data shows there were more than 100 crashes along the 8-mile stretch.
"For a lot of residents, they try to avoid commuting on I-70 as much as possible during the weekends, which isn't great if you live up here," said Stacia Sellers, CDOT communications lead. "This is an area that we hear a lot from the motorists that, you know, they get stuck in traffic. There's those safety concerns."
To address these issues, CDOT is creating a third westbound express lane and constructing a 115-foot bridge to carry interstate traffic in a new alignment to straighten road curves. The current I-70 road will transform to connect the frontage road between Central City Parkway and US 6, which will be used as a detour when the interstate is closed and to give first responders better access to emergencies.
During Wednesday's tour, Denver7 got a look at the eastern segment's widened highway, fresh striping, full-width shoulders, and wildlife fencing. Kurt Kionka, the Floyd Hill Project Director, said the fencing will help reduce vehicle-wildlife collisions by more than 90%.
Construction in the mountain environment has presented significant challenges, according to Kionka, including navigating rock blasts, narrow canyons, and Clear Creek.
"We are removing close to a million cubic yards of rock for the project. And removing rock isn't easy. That requires explosives," said Kionka. "We do a 20-minute traffic hold during off peak hours. 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. We roll traffic to a stop, make sure everything's clear, the explosives are detonated."
Some Colorado natives have long avoided I-70 due to persistent traffic issues.
"It's always congested," said native Gregg Lehnerz. "I-70 is an ongoing project... I don't see it ever being done 100% in my lifetime."
Several Idaho Springs residents told Denver7 they're happy about the changes and believe it will improve safety.
"I think they're making it safer for all of us," said resident Travis Cross. "Patience. Patience is key."
I-70 Floyd Hill Project info
- Project info line: 720-994-2368
- Text alerts: Text "floydhill" to 21000
- Email the project team: cdot_floydhillproject@state.co.us
- Project website: codot.gov/projects/i70floydhill
Denver7 was at the scene in October 2022 when CDOT officially broke ground on the project. Within a few months, we began hearing from residents of Idaho Springs and Empire, who were preparing for the impacts that the project would bring to their community. For Joseph Calhoun, who lives in Empire and works in Idaho Springs, it was a mix of frustration and trying to see the bright side.
“You get on the frontage road and everybody’s taking it, so then that clogs up and it takes you more than 45 minutes to get to work on what should be a 10 to 15-minute drive,” he told us in January 2023. “(But) it’s a good idea, especially from Evergreen to Idaho Springs because you have that bottleneck, and it doesn’t empty until you can get to the express lanes CDOT put in a few years ago through Idaho Springs.”
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CDOT reported that the total cost of the I-70 Floyd Hill Project is $905 million, up from an estimated $700 million in 2020 due to rising construction and material costs.
CDOT released a detailed first look at this massive project in June 2023, about a month before the main part of the construction officially began. The department said the I-70 Floyd Hill Project had been broken into three phases — the east section, central section and west section — which run eight total miles between west of Evergreen to eastern Idaho Springs. Kraemer North America was chosen as its contract partner.
Once the road fully reopens, it will have a third westbound lane to function as a full-time express lane, a two-mile section of frontage road between Evergreen and Idaho Springs, an extended on-ramp from US 6 to eastbound I-70, wider curves for increased safety, improvements to the Clear Creek Greenway trail and new wildlife crossings.
The new roadway, which will have wider curves, will help with safety. In addition, bridges will be rebuilt and the Clear Creek Greenway trail will see improvements.
Phase two is the western section, which runs between the Hidden Valley interchange to Idaho Springs at exit 241. Crews will continue the construction of the third westbound travel lane, rebuild bridges over Clear Creek west of Hidden Valley, and resurface Clear Creek Greenway from the Hidden Valley interchange to the Veteran Memorial Tunnels.
The final phase is the shortest and sits between the previous phases, around the nearly 90-degree turn at the bottom of Floyd Hill. The bridges at the bottom of Floyd Hill will be replaced as part of this phase and traffic will be shifted in both directions here. A new on-ramp is planned to eastbound I-70 from the bottom of Floyd Hill to connect to the new eastbound climbing lanes.
Westbound I-70 will be fully aligned late in 2027 and the entire project will conclude in 2029 — a one-year delay from the original plan. CDOT said this "provides the project team with additional time to refine the design and timeline to address seasonal environmental constraints."
