I-70 Floyd Hill Quarterly Newsletter
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Welcome to the I-70 Floyd Hill Quarterly Newsletter. This newsletter will go out about every three months and will cover updates and progress made on the project. You'll continue to receive weekly e-blasts covering the traffic impacts for the week ahead. We hope you enjoy this newsletter, and feel free to reach out to the project using any of the methods listed in the Know Before You Go! section below if you have any questions.
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A Look at the Future: I-70 Floyd Hill Before and After
Construction on the I-70 Floyd Hill Project began in early July 2023. Work started in the East Section of the Project, which spans from County Road 65 to the bottom of Floyd Hill. In fall 2023, work will begin in the West Section of the Project, which spans from the Hidden Valley interchange to Idaho Springs. In early 2024, construction will start in the Central Section of the Project, from the middle of Floyd Hill to Hidden Valley. Construction is expected to be complete by the end of 2028. Don’t want to wait until 2028 to see what the Project will look like? Check out these before photos and after renderings to see the improvements the Project will deliver.
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Caption: Current view of I-70 looking to the southeast from the bottom of Floyd Hill.
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Caption: Future view of I-70 looking to the southeast from the bottom of Floyd Hill, showing the addition of an extended on-ramp on eastbound I-70 for slower-moving traffic, an Express Lane going westbound, and the new location for the exit from westbound I-70 onto US 6.
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Caption: Current view of I-70 midway down Floyd Hill looking north.
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Caption: Future view of I-70 midway down Floyd Hill looking north, showing the addition of an extended on-ramp on eastbound I-70 for slower-moving traffic, an Express Lane going westbound, and the new location for the exit from westbound I-70 onto US 6.
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Caption: Current view of I-70 above the bottom of Floyd Hill looking to the west.
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Caption: Future view of I-70 above the bottom of Floyd Hill looking to the west, showing the updated US 6 interchange, the elevation of I-70 above Clear Creek Canyon with the crossing of westbound traffic over eastbound traffic, the new frontage road connection between US 6 and the Hidden Valley/Central City Parkway interchange, and the addition of the westbound I-70 Express Lane.
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Caption: Current view of I-70 east of Sawmill Gulch looking west.
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Caption: Future view of I-70 east of Sawmill Gulch looking west, showing westbound I-70 traffic on the left and eastbound I-70 traffic on the right. On westbound I-70, you can see the addition of a westbound I-70 Express Lane. Additionally, beneath I-70 shows the new frontage road connection between US 6 and the Hidden Valley/Central City Parkway interchange.
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Caption: Current view of I-70 from the Veterans Memorial Tunnels looking east.
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Caption: Future view of I-70 from the Veterans Memorial Tunnels looking east, showing the addition of an Express Lane on westbound I-70 and how rock cuts will eliminate the tight curves on westbound I-70.
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What to Expect with Rock Scaling and Blasting
The East Section of the I-70 Floyd Hill Project is in full swing! Since the Project began on July 6, crews have completed pavement repairs on I-70, finished their first traffic shift on eastbound I-70 and established the workzone by setting up signage and temporary concrete barrier. Crews will begin rock scaling operations in late July, followed by rock blasting activities, which are scheduled to start in mid-August. Rock scaling and blasting will take place adjacent to the eastbound lanes of I-70 between the US 6 interchange and Hyland Drive (Mile Point 247). About 20 feet of material will be removed alongside the outside lane to widen eastbound I-70 for an extended on-ramp from US 6 to the top of Floyd Hill.
Rock scaling is the process of removing loose and unstable material from the rock blasting area to mitigate rockfall. This work begins the week of July 31 and will continue for about two weeks. Crews will scale rocks up to four times a day, Monday through Thursday, between 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., which is historically an off-peak travel time range. During each operation, motorists can expect traffic holds of up to 20 minutes in both eastbound and westbound directions which may result in up to 45 minutes delays as the last of the traffic queues clear. Crews will wait until traffic is flowing at normal speeds before conducting another round of scaling operations to prevent extreme traffic impacts.
Once rock scaling is complete, crews will begin rock blasting activities. Rock blasting is the process of drilling a hole into the rock and placing explosive and void-filling materials into the hole. A controlled blast is then triggered to fracture the rock so it can be excavated and removed from the site. When rock blasting begins in mid-August, it will occur once a day and one or two times per week, Monday through Thursday, between 9 a.m. and 3 p.m., and Fridays, between 9 a.m. and noon. Traffic will be held in both the eastbound and westbound directions for the safety of motorists and crew members during blasting operations and will be released once rock is cleared from the roadway. There will be an estimated 30 blasts in the East Section of the Project through early 2024. Motorists are strongly encouraged to sign up for text alerts to stay in the know on when rock blasting will occur during the week and what time of day. To sign up for alerts, text “floydhill” (one word) to 21000.
View the East Section rock blasting map and FAQs below to learn more about the Project area and to get your questions answered!
Rock Blasting Map
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Caption: The East Section rock blasting map shows the five different areas (i.e. orange blast icons on map) between the US 6 interchange and Hyland Drive (MP 247) where blasting will occur alongside eastbound I-70.
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Rock Blasting FAQs:
- Why is rock blasting necessary?
- Unlike earthen material that is encountered in the metro area, rock material in the mountains is much harder and cannot be excavated with conventional methods. To fracture the material and remove it from the site, rock blasting is necessary. Rock blasting is necessary as part of this Project to widen I-70 in this area. Once I-70 is widened, crews will be able to increase mobility by adding an extended on-ramp along eastbound I-70 for slower-moving traffic traveling up Floyd Hill and adding an Express Lane along westbound I-70.
- How often will the Project perform rock blasting?
- The contractor currently anticipates blasting one or two times a week through early 2024 in the Project’s East Section from Homestead Road to the bottom of Floyd Hill. The Project expects there will only be one blast per day. As the Project progresses and construction begins in the West and Central sections, motorists can expect additional rock blasting through 2024 and 2025.
- How far away from rock blasting operations will cars be stopped?
- Cars will be stopped at least ½-mile away from the blasting operations. In many cases, traffic slowdowns will occur farther than a ½-mile away.
- How long will traffic be stopped for each blast?
- Traffic will be stopped for 20 minutes during each blast, but delays could span up to 45 minutes.
- Will I feel each blast?
- You will likely only feel a blast if you’re within 1,000 feet of it. Because traffic will be stopped at least ½-mile away from blasting operations, you will not likely feel the blast, but you may hear it.
If you have more questions on rock blasting, check out our full list of Rock Blasting FAQs. If you don’t see an answer to your question, please reach out to the Project team at cdot_floydhillproject@state.co.us.
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I-70 Floyd Hill Early Projects Update
Stay informed on the I-70 Floyd Hill Early Projects by visiting the website.
I-70 Genesee Wildlife Underpass: Crews are making progress on this wildlife underpass project at I-70 Mile Point 254.5 which is in between the exits for Lookout Mountain and Genesee. The project began in late 2022 and will continue through spring 2024. Crews completed the westbound I-70 portion of the underpass structure and are now working on the eastbound I-70 portion. The majority of work is taking place off the roadway, but visit the project website to stay informed.
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Caption: Construction on the Genesee Wildlife Underpass
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US 40 Roundabouts Project: Crews are working to build a roundabout at two locations, one at US 40 and County Road 65, and the other at US 40 and Homestead Road. The project began in late 2022 and will continue through fall 2024. Once complete, the roundabouts will improve operations and safety at these intersections, and improve bicyclist safety. Want to receive project-specific information and details about traffic impacts? Complete this form to be added to our email distribution list.
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Caption: Future roundabout at US 40 and County Road 65
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Ditch your Car and Travel I-70 via Transit or Carpool!
Add a car-free trip to the mountains to your travel bucket list! You can catch Bustang or Pegasus from Denver Union Station or Denver Federal Center in Lakewood and travel to many mountain destinations, including Idaho Springs, Frisco, Vail and Avon. At each destination, there is local transit to help you get around! Instead of navigating traffic, you can relax, chat with friends, read a book or scroll on your phone using the free Wi-Fi. Learn more about the many transit options available at GoI70.com/transit or visit ridebustang.com to purchase tickets.
Want to try carpooling? Download the TreadShare app to pair with either a driver or rider. Make new friends and reduce vehicles on I-70 - a win-win! If you do drive along the I-70 Mountain Corridor, check the travel forecast at GoI70.com/travel or COtrip.org first and know before you go!
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Caption: Pegasus shuttle
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CDOT's I-70 Mountain Corridor Summer 2023 Construction Map
The Colorado Department of Transportation is busy making improvements to the I-70 Mountain Corridor from Golden to the Utah border. Stay in the know about each project by viewing this map.
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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.
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