Traffic Realignment to Close Eastbound I-70 Tonight

June 5, 2012 - TRAFFIC ADVISORY - Denver Metro Colorado/CDOT Region 6 - DENVER— Tonight, June 5th, the Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT) will close all lanes of eastbound I-70 between Quebec Street and I-270 in order to realign traffic into its final configuration following bridge reconstruction.

Westbound I-70 between I-270 and Quebec Street will be placed in its final alignment in approximately seven to ten days.

“Both eastbound and westbound I-70 have been in a temporary alignment for several months,” said CDOT Project Engineer Pablo Lopez.  “Now that bridge reconstruction is nearly complete, we can begin placing I-70 in its final configuration, which will eliminate the curves that were necessary for the temporary alignment.”

To complete the work, the following lane closures will be in place tonight, weather permitting:

  • Eastbound I-70 between Quebec Street and I-270: One lane of eastbound I-70 will be closed at 7 p.m. with a second lane closing at 10 p.m. and all lanes closing at midnight. From midnight until 5:30 a.m. Wednesday, all lanes of eastbound I-70 will be closed. Detour: Motorists on eastbound I-70 will exit at Quebec Street and be guided by detour signs to Northfield Boulevard then east to Central Park Boulevard and then south on Central Park Boulevard where access to eastbound I-70 is available.

Major delays are possible tonight and alternate routes are strongly advised. CDOT would like to remind motorists to obey all construction signs and flaggers and to “Slow for the Cone Zone”.

In addition to tonight’s closure, the following work will take place the remainder of the week for median work, weather permitting:

  • Wednesday, June 6th and Thursday, June 7th:  One lane of eastbound I-70 between Monaco Parkway and I-270 and one lane of westbound I-70 between Central Park Boulevard and Holly Street will be closed each night at 7 p.m. as well as the ramp from Quebec Street to westbound I-70. All lanes and the ramp will reopen by 5:30 a.m. the next morning.  Detour: Motorists on Quebec Street needing access westbound I-70 can use Havana Street or Monaco Parkway as an alternate route.

The realignment is part of a project that replaces the eastbound and westbound I-70 bridges over Sand Creek, which are located between Quebec Street and I-270, with one structure. The replacement of the bridges will accommodate longer acceleration and deceleration lanes from Quebec Street to I-70, which will improve safety for motorists entering and exiting the highway. The existing eastbound I-70 structure was originally constructed in 1960 and the westbound I-70 structure was constructed in 1964. Both bridges are in poor condition.

Lawrence Construction Co. is the contractor for this $8 million project scheduled to be complete by the end of June 2012. The project is being funding by the Colorado Bridge Enterprise, which uses a small portion of vehicle registration fees to repair or replace poor bridges.