Momentum builds as I-70 Floyd Hill enters next chapter in 2026

News Release

For access to photos from the media kit, email [email protected].

Clear Creek County - The Colorado Department of Transportation's I-70 Floyd Hill Project is transforming eight miles of the Interstate 70 Mountain Corridor between Evergreen and eastern Idaho Springs - and the results at the gateway to the Colorado Rocky Mountains are starting to take shape. From safety to operational improvements, motorists traveling the I-70 Mountain Corridor will begin reaping benefits prior to winter.

"As a busy 2025 construction season is wrapping up across Colorado, travelers will have improved roads throughout the state to make trips safer and smoother," said CDOT Executive Director Shoshana Lew. "The Floyd Hill team has achieved some significant milestones that will make the drive through this large construction zone a little easier, even as construction activity continues through the winter and into 2026. We will be keeping busy fixing our roads and bridges to make sure everyone gets where they're going safely and reliably."

As 2025 wraps up, the I-70 Floyd Hill Project marks significant progress since construction began in July 2023. Crews have reached substantial completion of three miles of I-70 between County Road 65 (Exit 248) and the middle of Floyd Hill. This means motorists will be driving on a newly widened and realigned highway in this area featuring new pavement and fresh striping in full-width lanes and shoulders. This new alignment will allow for both a future eastbound I-70 extended on-ramp to give slower-moving vehicles more time to merge and a future westbound I-70 Express Lane, in addition to the two free general purpose lanes on westbound I-70, which will improve travel time reliability.

"Through innovative design and the dedication of the CDOT team, our contractor partner Kraemer North America, and dozens of local small businesses, the project now moves into its most ambitious phase: constructing a brand-new segmental bridge right alongside and above today's I-70," said CDOT's I-70 Floyd Hill Project Director Kurt Kionka. "We'll be building a modern, safer highway while keeping this vital corridor moving. We understand the challenges construction brings to the local community, businesses and motorists traveling through the area. But we know this work will deliver benefits that both save and improve lives."

Other improvements in this area include:

• A new wildlife safety system including two miles of wildlife fencing, seven wildlife escape ramps and deer guards. This system, in conjunction with the new I-70 and Genesee wildlife underpass, is expected to help reduce wildlife-vehicle collisions by 90%
• Improved drainage systems addressing snow melt and standing water from rain
• New retaining walls along eastbound I-70 to help stabilize the slope to prevent erosion and landslides. These shotcrete walls are designed to maintain the mountain aesthetic with a natural-looking finish

In 2026, motorists will begin to see the new alignment of I-70 take shape between the middle of Floyd Hill and the Hidden Valley/Central City Parkway interchange (Exit 243) as crews build the new westbound and eastbound I-70 bridge structures adjacent to the current I-70 alignment, limiting lane closures on I-70. In early December 2025, crews will use multiple westbound I-70 overnight closures to build a temporary framework, which will support the future construction of a concrete cast-in-place segmental bridge over live traffic on I-70. A cast-in-place segmental bridge is a method of building a long-span bridge that is cast in a cantilever (like a "T") from a bridge pier column outward to build the bridge in segments.

Rock scaling and blasting, which facilitates roadway widening and a new highway alignment, will continue through 2026. This work requires I-70 traffic holds during weekday off-peak travel hours. Since rock blasting began in October 2024, crews have completed 135 blasts, removing more than 600,000 tons of material - equal to the weight of 20 Statues of Liberty.

The crew is the backbone of the Project. Over 1,200 field employees have contributed more than 550,000 work hours to the Project. Kraemer North America currently has 162 subcontractors, with 152 being Colorado-based businesses and over 100 suppliers that support the Project.

The best way to stay informed on I-70 Floyd Hill traffic impacts is to sign up to receive text alerts - text floydhill (one word) to 21000 - or sign up for weekly traffic advisories.

Project Information

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 creating safer wildlife movements.

Construction began in July 2023. I-70 will be in its new alignment in 2028, with the entire project expected to conclude in 2029.

For additional information about this project:

• Call the project information line at 720-994-2368 (CDOT)
• Text floydhill to 21000 to sign up for text alerts
• Email the project team at: [email protected]
• Visit the project website at: codot.gov/projects/i70floydhill

Know Before You Go

Travelers are urged to "know before you go." Gather information about weather forecasts and anticipated travel impacts and current road conditions prior to hitting the road. CDOT resources include:

• Road conditions and travel information: COtrip.org
• Download the COtrip Planner app: bit.ly/COtripapp
• Sign up for project or travel alerts: bit.ly/COnewsalerts
• Check scheduled construction lane closures: bit.ly/laneclosures
• Connect with @ColoradoDOT on social media: X, Facebook, Instagram and YouTube

Remember: Slow For The Cone Zone

The following tips are to help you stay safe while traveling through maintenance and construction work zones.

• Do not speed in work zones. Obey the posted speed limits.
• Stay Alert! Expect the unexpected.
• Watch for workers. Drive with caution.
• Don't change lanes unnecessarily.
• Avoid using mobile devices such as phones while driving in work zones.
• Turn on headlights so that workers and other drivers can see you.
• Be especially alert at night while driving in work zones.
• Expect delays, especially during peak travel times.
• Allow ample space between you and the car in front of you.
• Anticipate lane shifts and merge when directed to do so.
• Be patient!

Download the COtrip App!

The new free COtrip Planner mobile app was designed to meet the growing trend of information on mobile and tablet devices for the traveling public. The COtrip Planner app provides statewide, real-time traffic information, and works on mobile devices that operate on the iOS and Android platforms. Visit the Google Play Store (Android devices) or the Apple Store (iOS devices) to download!