I-70 Glenwood Canyon History

The Glenwood Canyon Highway Video on PBS

History of Glenwood Canyon Overview

Glenwood Canyon is one of Colorado’s most stunning natural wonders, stretching 12 miles and featuring towering cliffs that rise up to 2,000 feet above the Colorado River. But while it looks untouched, this area has been a key route for travelers for centuries. The final section of I-70 through the canyon is not just a highway—it’s an incredible engineering project that balances nature and modern transportation.

The Glenwood Canyon, sometimes referred to as the I-70 final link, is much more than a highway. The project included the development of state-of-the-art rest areas at No Name, Grizzly Creek, Hanging Lake, and Bair Ranch, offering visitors not just a place to rest, but also educational displays about the canyon’s history and wildlife. These rest areas also provide direct access to recreational activities like river rafting and hiking along the canyon's recreation path.

A History of Travel Through Glenwood Canyon

Before highways, people traveled through Glenwood Canyon on rough trails. Old photos from the 1880s show wagons struggling through the tough terrain. In 1902, the Taylor State Road was built as the first improved road through the canyon, connecting Denver and Grand Junction. Over the years, roads got better, but it wasn’t until the 1980s that the idea of building a modern interstate through the canyon became a reality.

Building I-70: A Huge Engineering Feat

The construction of the final part of I-70 through Glenwood Canyon began in 1980 and finished in 1992. This project cost about $490 million and is often called an engineering marvel. The biggest challenge was how to build the road without ruining the delicate canyon environment. Engineers had to come up with creative ways to make sure the highway didn’t damage the natural landscape.

At the peak of construction, up to 500 workers were on-site each day. Some of the workers’ tasks were really impressive, like creating 40 bridges and 3 tunnels that would blend in with the canyon's beauty.

The project was massive. It included:

  • 3 tunnels through the canyon’s rock
  • 15 miles of retaining walls to hold the road in place
  • 40 bridges and viaducts, some built using a special machine from France called a slip-form gantry

The whole project needed a lot of materials, including:

  • 30 million points of structural steel
  • 30 million pounds of reinforcing steel
  • 400,000 cubic yards of concrete (about 1.6 billion pounds!)