I-70 Floyd Hill Project Update

Heads Up! Watch for a new traffic pattern in the West Section of the Project on I-70 between Hidden Valley/Central City Parkway (Exit 243) and Colorado Boulevard/Idaho Springs (Exit 241). Traffic will be shifted toward the outside shoulders on eastbound and westbound I-70 to make room for crews to work in the median. The eastbound I-70 traffic shift is scheduled for tonight, April 5. The westbound I-70 traffic shift is scheduled for Thursday, April 11. Please pay extra attention and watch for narrower lanes and shoulders as you navigate I-70 in the West Section of the Project. Speeds are reduced to 45 mph in the area.

I-70 Lane and Shoulder Closures

• Expect overnight, single-lane closures on eastbound I-70 between Colorado Boulevard/Idaho Spring (Exit 241) and Hidden Valley/Central City Parkway (Exit 243) for a traffic shift and barrier installation in the West Section of the Project. 
  • 7 p.m., Friday, April 5 to 9 a.m., Saturday, April 6
  • 9 p.m. Sunday, April 7 to 6 a.m., Monday, April 8
  • 7 p.m., Monday, April 8 to 6 a.m., Tuesday, April 9
• 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., Tuesday, April 9, through Friday, April 12 - Expect daytime right shoulder closures on westbound I-70 between Homestead Road (Exit 247) and US 6 (Exit 244).
• Expect overnight, single-lane closures on westbound I-70 between Hidden Valley/Central City Parkway (Exit 243) and Colorado Boulevard/Idaho Springs (Exit 241) for pothole repairs, a traffic shift and barrier installation in the West Section of the Project.
  • 7 p.m., Wednesday, April 10 to 6 a.m., Thursday, April 11
  • 8 p.m., Thursday, April 11 to 5 a.m., Friday, April 12
  • 9 a.m., Friday, April 12 to 5 a.m., Saturday, April 13

US 40 Traffic Impacts

• 7 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday, April 8 - Expect alternating, single-lane traffic on US 40 between Homestead Road and the US 6 interchange to install temporary barrier.

Clear Creek Greenway Trail Closure

The Clear Creek Greenway trail remains closed between the US 6 (Exit 244) and Hidden Valley (Exit 243) interchanges for construction and utility work in this area. This work is scheduled to last until spring 2024, but trail users can expect ongoing trail impacts and closures through the end of 2027 as crews complete trail improvements and use the trail as an equipment staging area to complete bridge construction. This one-mile portion of the trail will be an active construction zone and will be unsafe for multi-use travel. Other segments of the trail will remain open.

Early and Other Projects Update

Eastbound and westbound I-70 between Genesee (Exit 254) and Mile Point 255 - Expect daytime, left-lane closures on westbound I-70, 10 a.m.to 3 p.m., Monday, April 8 through Wednesday, April 10, and on eastbound I-70, Tuesday, April 9 and Wednesday, April 10. Additionally, expect a nighttime, left-lane closure of westbound I-70, 8 p.m.- 7 a.m., Monday, April 8.  To learn more about the Genesee Wildlife Crossing project, visit the project website here.

Westbound I-70 Off-Ramp to County Road 65 - Please plan ahead for a four-day closure of the westbound I-70 off-ramp to County Road 65 (Exit 248), starting at 7 a.m., Monday, April 22, through 5 p.m., Thursday, April 25. During the closure, crews will remove the existing pavement, pave with new asphalt, build curb and gutter, and install lighting. Work is weather dependent and subject to change. To detour, motorists should exit westbound I-70 at El Rancho (Exit 252) to use westbound US 40.

Jefferson County is maintaining public safety during complicated construction of the Peaks to Plains Trail in Clear Creek Canyon, which requires closing US 6 overnight between CO 119 and the CO 58/CO 93 intersection in Golden. The first of these overnight closures are planned for Monday, April 8; Monday, April 15; Monday, April 22; and Monday, April 29.

Each closure is scheduled from 7 p.m. to 7 a.m. when traffic volumes are the lowest, and multiple work activities will be done under one closure when possible to reduce the number of closures needed. Drivers should use I-70 as an alternate route when US 6 is closed. There will be several more overnight closures this year, but no closures on holidays. If needed, all full closures will be made passable for first responders.

This work is weather dependent, and the schedule is subject to change. Refer to these resources to stay informed on the construction:

• Peaks2plains@gmail.com
• 720-893-0403
• Sign up for Jeffco “Notify Me” alerts at Jeffco.us/list.aspx
• Check COtrip.org for updated travel conditions

I-70 Floyd Hill Deconstructed Video Series

The I-70 Floyd Hill Project recently launched a new video series called “I-70 Floyd Hill Deconstructed.” This video series provides an inside look at the various construction activities required to build a project of this magnitude and meet the people who make it possible.

Click on the links below to watch videos from the I-70 Floyd Hill Deconstructed series. 

• Retaining walls and creating a match mountain aesthetic
• Winter construction and driving
• 2023 Year-End Review
• Project Design

About the Project

The I-70 Floyd Hill Project will improve eight miles of the I-70 mountain corridor, from west of Evergreen to eastern Idaho Springs. The Project will deliver a third westbound I-70 travel lane, which will function as an Express Lane, to improve the current two-lane bottleneck. Other major elements include constructing a missing two-mile section of the frontage road between Evergreen and Idaho Springs, building an eastbound I-70 extended on-ramp for slow-moving vehicles, improving traffic flow and access at interchanges and intersections within the project limits, improving sight distance on roadway curves, improving the Clear Creek Greenway trail, and implementing environmental mitigation to create safer wildlife movements and improve air and water quality, stream conditions and recreation.

Construction began in July 2023 and is expected to conclude in late 2028.