CDOT’s I-70 Floyd Hill project gets ready to roll this month

By Don Ireland Senior Reporter

CDOT’s proposed I-70 widening project at Floyd Hill will get underway within the next few weeks. The groundbreaking for the fiveyear, $700 million expansion project was held last week at a press conference along the site in Clear Creek County.

The renovation for the Floyd Hill area – where traffic jams are a frequent occurrence – has been discussed for years by the state. CDOT said about 70,000 vehicles travel I-70 on Floyd Hill during most weekdays. However, during peak skiing and summer tourism weekends, it’s not uncommon for vehicles traveling westbound or east to become entangled in hours-long traffic jams.

“The I-70 Mountain Corridor, particularly at Floyd Hill, is the gateway to Colorado’s mountains and a critical economic and tourism route,” said CDOT I-70 Floyd Hill Project Director Kurt Kionka in a statement. “Increasing traffic volumes, tight curves and steep grades — which are often exacerbated by weather — require a project that will improve travel time reliability and safety. By eliminating the bottleneck at Floyd Hill, the project will significantly ease congestion and decrease the number and severity of crashes.”

Kionka said Kraemer North America, the contractor for the project, expects to keep the existing lanes open as much as possible. The project’s first phase will include rock scaling and blasting on the four-mile stretch between County Road 65 and the bottom of Floyd Hill. According to CDOT, motorists should expect daytime 20-minute delay of traffic in both directions on I-70 starting in late July or early August. Crews will perform rock blasting and scaling for 20 minutes and then reopen the roadway, but motorists can anticipate up to 45 minutes of delays. Blasting is expected to occur two times per week through early 2024.

Travel lanes will be maintained in each direction of I-70 during peak travel hours, but overnight lane closures on I-70 will happen semi-regularly. CDOT said lane closure hours would vary based on season, day of the week, the number of lanes closed, and the travel direction. There will also be reduced lane and shoulder widths, and drivers should expect reduced speed limits and increased truck traffic going in and out of the work zones. Motorists can also expect minor impacts to the westbound I-70 offramp to Homestead Road and periodic daytime flagging on U.S. 40.

In recent years, many motorists have used phone apps to navigate around the I-70 traffic -avoiding the stretch of the highway between Evergreen and the bottom of Floyd Hill. Some drivers take Highway 6 (Clear Creek Canyon) from Golden to the bottom of Floyd Hill. However, using that alternative route has resulted in traffic jams on that two-lane road that is the primary bus and vehicle route for those visiting Black Hawk’s casinos and attractions. Exit 244, listed as a Black Hawk exit two-thirds of the way down Floyd Hill on westbound I-70, is another possible way to reach the gaming city, although lengthy weekend traffic jams typically make the exit used less.

Central City leaders have expressed concern about the central section of the project, slated to include Exit 243 of I-70, the entrance to the eight-mile-long Central City Parkway. The parkway is the primary thoroughfare that brings most summer visitors to the city’s summer festivals, including the Central City Opera performances, and patrons to the six casinos in town. Some Central City visitors also opt to use Highways 6 and 119 to through Black Hawk as an alternative route, although sections of Highway 6 also will be closed for construction (see related story).

Revised plans, dates

Several different construction plans have been proposed for the Floyd Hill project in recent years. However, during an informational meeting with the

Clear Creek Rotary Club last week, CDOT representatives said the project will occur in three phases.

The east section of the project includes I-70 from near Evergreen to the upper section of Floyd Hill. Traffic roundabouts will replace traditional intersections at Exit 248 (Beaver Brook/Floyd Hill) and Exit 247 (Hyland Hills/Beaver Brook) east of Floyd Hill. CDOT said construction of the east section will begin this month and run through 2026.

The west section will begin west of Exit 243 (Central City Parkway/Hidden Valley exit) and continue toward the Memorial Tunnels east of Idaho Springs. Work will begin in fall 2023 and last until fall 2027, according to CDOT.

The central section, which includes the frequentlybottlenecked portion of Floyd Hill and Exits 244 (Black Hawk/Highway 6 east toward Golden) and 243, will include work beginning next spring. It is expected to conclude by the end of 2028. CDOT plans to have its contractor, Kraemer North America, build two additional westbound lanes above the existing ones. The overhead lanes will be tolled lanes that will transport traffic around the bottom of the existing bend at the bottom of Floyd Hill (see illustration).

The new lanes will begin just west of Homestead Road (Exit 247)and extend through the Veterans Memorial Tunnels to Exit 241 in Idaho Springs.

Traffic improvements

According to CDOT, the following will occur:

•Construction of a missing, two-mile section of the frontage road between U.S. 6 and the Hidden Valley/Central City Parkway interchanges will improve emergency response.

•Build an extended onramp from U.S. 6 onto eastbound I-70 for slowmoving vehicles to have more room to merge.

• Improve traffic flow and access at interchanges and intersections.

• Improve sight distance and safety by straightening roadway curves.

• Improve the Clear Creek Greenway trail.

• Implement environmental mitigation to enhance wildlife connectivity, air and water quality, stream conditions and recreation.

•Install two permanent air quality monitors.

Traffic warnings

During the multiple years of construction, CDOT said motorists can expect:

• Occasional daytime traffic holds during rock blasting and rock scaling operations.

• Overnight lane closures.

•Temporary lane shifts.

•Periodic, temporary onand off-ramp closures.

• Periodic, overnight detours in the I-70/U.S. 6 interchange and shortterm closures of I-70 for safety-critical work.

•Occasional daytime 20-minute traffic holds for rock scaling and rock blasting (delays of 45 minutes are anticipated).

•Temporary closures of the Clear Creek Greenway trail.

• Efforts to keep I-70 moving during construction include keeping all lanes and ramps open during peak traffic hours, ensuring lane closures are responsive to current traffic patterns, and innovating complex work above the roadway so it doesn’t impede traffic. New roadway sections will be built adjacent to current lanes to keep traffic moving.

CDOT said motorists can get updates on when blasting activities are planned by signing up for text alerts. Text floydhill to 21000 to receive alerts.