CDOT's $700 million I-70 Floyd Hill Project, led by contractor Kraemer North America, made significant progress in 2024 with highway widening, drainage installation, wildlife safety measures, and new pavement. Work continues into 2028, aiming to improve 8 mi. stretch of I-70 between Evergreen and eastern Idaho Springs.
The Colorado Department of Transportation reported significant accomplishments in 2024 on its Interstate 70 Floyd Hill Project, which will improve 8 mi. of the Interstate 70 Mountain Corridor between Evergreen and eastern Idaho Springs.
Construction on the project began in 2023 and is expected to conclude in late 2028. Kramer North America is the contractor on the $700 million project.
The project will improve a stretch of I-70 from west of Evergreen to eastern Idaho Springs. It 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 2-mi. 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.
Improvements in 2024 included:
Highway widening: Crews completed rock scaling and blasting in the east section of the project, removing 97,000 tons of material from the hillside above eastbound I-70. Crews began rock scaling and blasting in the central and west sections of the project along I-70 between the U.S. 6 interchange and the Veterans Memorial Tunnels in late 2024, completing 17 blasts and removing more than 40,000 tons of material.
Drainage and retaining wall installation: Crews installed 5,600 linear ft. of drainage pipe and built retaining walls reinforced with 73,000 sq. ft. of shotcrete, which helps maintain the corridor aesthetic with a natural-looking finish.
Wildlife safety: Crews implemented a wildlife mitigation system, which included 2 mi. of deer fencing in both directions of I-70 between Soda Creek and Homestead roads, accompanied by seven escape ramps and deer guard on County Road 65. This work complements the recently completed I-70 Floyd Hill Early Project, which built a wildlife underpass at I-70 and Genesee, and is expected to decrease wildlife vehicle collisions by 90 percent.
New pavement: Crews used 17,900 tons of asphalt to construct 5.5 mi. of permanent roadway between Idaho Springs (Exit 241) and CR 65 (Exit 248). Motorists are now driving on permanent pavement on eastbound I-70 between U.S. 6 and CR 65.
Local economy boost: More than 1,000 field employees contributed to more than 271,000 work hours to the project. Kraemer North America has 158 subcontractors, with 148 being Colorado businesses and 82 certified as disadvantaged business enterprises, which are for-profit businesses that are majority-owned by socially or economically disadvantaged individuals. Nearly 100 suppliers support the project.
In early 2025, expect:
East Section (I-70 from CR 65 to the middle of Floyd Hill): Crews are working in the median, and motorists can expect overnight I-70 lane and ramp closures. In mid-January, overhead sign installation will require full closures of westbound I-70 between CR 65 and U.S. 6. In February, crews will again close westbound I-70 to remove the old overhead signing.
Central Section (I-70 from the middle of Floyd Hill to Hidden Valley): Motorists can anticipate daily traffic holds for rock blasting on the hillside to the south of eastbound I-70 and Clear Creek, which will make space for crews to build the future eastbound and westbound I-70 bridges. Crews will build these bridges off of the current I-70 travel lanes, which will minimize impacts to motorists. Motorists can anticipate alternating single-lane traffic on U.S. 40 and overnight I-70 lane and ramp closures in the area.
West Section (I-70 from Hidden Valley to eastern Idaho Springs): Motorists can anticipate daily traffic holds for rock blasting on the hillside above westbound I-70 to straighten I-70 curves to improve safety and sight distance.
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