I-70 Floyd Hill Project Update

The Colorado Department of Transportation’s I-70 Floyd Hill Project continues construction on the East Section of the project, which spans I-70 from County Road 65 to the bottom of Floyd Hill (approximately exits 248 to 244). 

Reminder: On Wednesday, Aug. 9, during the I-70 Floyd Hill Project daytime rock scaling operations, a rock crossed eastbound and westbound I-70 and landed on US 40. In the interest of public safety, crews will now hold traffic on US 40 in addition to the holds occurring on I-70. Motorists can expect flagger-controlled traffic holds on US 40 and the Homestead Road on-ramp to westbound I-70, which will mirror the timing of traffic holds on I-70. Specifically, motorists can expect traffic holds approximately every 75 minutes starting at 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. on I-70 and US 40 between Homestead Road (Exit 247) and the US 6 (Exit 244) interchanges, which could result in up to 45 minutes of delay. During the traffic holds, we recommend you turn off your vehicle to help with air quality. For updates on rock scaling and rock blasting, text 'floydhill' (one word, lowercase) to 21000. 

Rock Scaling and Blasting Traffic Impacts

• 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., Monday, Aug. 14, through Thursday, Aug. 17 - Crews continue rock scaling operations between the Homestead Road (Exit 247) and US 6 (Exit 244) interchanges. Crews will scale rocks multiple times a day during off-peak travel hours. 
• Between 11 a.m. and 2 p.m., Monday, Aug. 14, and Thursday, Aug. 17 - Crews will use one of the planned scaling operations to instead conduct a rock blasting operation. Crews will blast once a day and up to two times per week. A series of airhorn blasts will precede each detonation to warn people in the area. 
• Crews will wait until traffic is flowing at normal speeds before conducting another round of scaling operations to prevent heavy traffic back-ups.

I-70 Mountain Corridor-Wide Traffic Impacts

• Reduced speed limits as low as 45 mph, narrower lanes and shoulders, and increased truck traffic entering and exiting the work zones. Heed the speed limit, do not follow trucks into the work zone, go slow for the cone zone and do not drive distracted. 
• Motorists should expect daytime shoulder closures on westbound I-70 for utility work. 
• All construction activities are weather dependent and subject to change. For real-time travel information, visit COTrip.org.

I-70 Floyd Hill Design Work

• 7 p.m. to 7 a.m., Sunday, Aug. 13 through Friday, Aug. 18 - Lane and shoulder closures on eastbound and westbound I-70 between MPs 242 and 247 for geotech drilling. 
• 10 p.m. to 4 a.m., Monday, Aug. 14 - Mobile lane and shoulder closures on the westbound I-70 shoulder and US 6 on-ramp to westbound I-70 for survey work.

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.