I-70 Surface Upgrade Underway between Vail Pass & Jeffco

October 2, 2012 - Central Eastern Colorado/CDOT Region 1 - SUMMIT/CLEAR CREEK/JEFFERSON COUNTIES – The Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT) is crack sealing Interstate 70, requiring overnight lane closures at various locations along the 62-mile segment between the top of Vail Pass and Chief Hosa, just east of Evergreen Parkway (State Highway 74).

Work also consists of paving a two-mile segment of I-70 through Idaho Springs

Drivers can expect single lane closures on eastbound or westbound I-70, Sunday through Thursday nights, as follows:

  • Eastbound between Vail Pass and Silverthorne – 6 p.m. to 6 a.m.
  • Eastbound through Idaho Springs – 8 p.m. to 6 a.m.
  • Westbound through Idaho Springs – 8 p.m. to 6 a.m.

CDOT will continue to adjust the project hours and the direction of work (EB or WB) to minimize driver impacts.  Updated project location and  work hour information will be distributed as necessary.

The speed limit is reduced to 45 mph through the work zone.  Lane closures are a maximum of two miles long and work can alternate between eastbound and westbound I-70, depending on how the project is progressing. Traffic slowing is possible due to the single lane configurations.

“Crack sealing is a preemptive strike against road deterioration because it extends the lifespan of the highway – both the surface and sub-surface,” said CDOT Resident Engineer Russel Cox.  “It prevents pot holes from developing and that’s a safety enhancement as well.  We see it as a lower cost treatment in the short-term that saves money in the long-term.”

A-1 Chipseal Co. of Denver, CO. is the contractor for the $1.6 million project.  All work is scheduled for completion in November 2012.

Additional information is available by calling the project hotline at 970-344-4664.

Updated information regarding traffic impacts on this or other CDOT projects is available at www.cotrip.org or by calling 511.  To receive project updates via e-mail, visit www.coloradodot.info and click on the cell-phone icon in the upper right-hand corner.  The link takes you to a list of items you can subscribe to, including I-70 West, Denver to Glenwood Springs.