I-70 Westbound Glenwood Canyon Concrete Reconstruction

May 3, 2012 - PROJECT ENDING EARLY! Northwestern Colorado/CDOT Region 3 - Contractor completes work 10 days early - westbound lanes open.

GARFIELD COUNTY – Late today, May 3, the Colorado Department of Transportation and contractor Interstate Highway Construction, Inc., will be opening the westbound lanes of I-70 in Glenwood Canyon—10 days ahead of the contract completion date of May 14. Motorists in both directions had been traveling in single lanes in the eastbound lanes, travelers will experience the following:

  • There will be two westbound lanes open later today through the canyon, with the exception of short, single-lane closures at each of the project’s end points:  through Hanging Lake Tunnel (MP 124 – 126); and from No Name (exit 119) west through the No Name tunnels (MP 118); these sections—where barriers are set up for the traffic cross-over—will open up to two lanes by 9 a.m. Friday morning.
  • The eastbound lanes through the work zone will still be restricted to one lane through Friday May 4, to accommodate the removal and reapplication of the pavement markings. Weather depending, all work will be complete and lane closures lifted by late Friday night.
  • NOTE: There will be single-lane closures westbound on Monday, May 7, to accommodate quality assurance testing (for concrete smoothness).

IHC, of Englewood, CO, was contracted $3 million to begin the westbound concrete pavement reconstruction project on March 26—the project is the third in a series of phased projects that will replace the current asphalt pavement through the canyon with more durable, longer-lasting concrete pavement. Because of the critical need to expedite this work on the interstate, the contract carried with it a $6,000/day incentive for early completion. Because IHC is completing the project 10 calendar days ahead of schedule, the company has earned $60,000 in early-completion incentives.

“We very pleased with IHC’s early completion of this contract, as well as the quality of their work,” CDOT Resident Engineer Roland Wagner said. “We hope travelers who commute this corridor each day feel the same way.”

Future project phases to complete concrete resurfacing on I-70 through Glenwood Canyon, between No Name at Exit 119 and the east end of the canyon, at mile point 131, have been designed and are awaiting funding. This stretch of I-70 receives an annual average of 15,000 vehicles per day—and well beyond that in the summer months. Those vehicle trips include 15.2 percent heavy truck traffic. Concrete provides a more durable surface for this traffic that will require less maintenance over asphalt throughout its 30-plus year service life.

PUBLIC INFORMATION - Those with questions or concerns about the project may call Eddie Davidsen, Public Information Manager for the project at (970) 456-5763.

Updated information regarding traffic impacts on this or other CDOT projects is available at www.dot.state.co.us/TravelInfo/currentcond/ or by calling 511. To receive project updates via wireless device or e-mail, visit www.coloradodot.info and click on the green cell-phone icon in the upper right-hand corner.