Traffic delays planned for I-70 mountain corridor next week

CLEAR CREEK COUNTY – Anyone planning to travel the I-70 mountain corridor through Clear Creek County next week should plan on adding about 45 minutes to their travel time.

Monday, May 4, through Friday, May 8, Colorado Department of Transportation crews will perform rock scaling work on the cliff wall between mile markers 240 and 241 in Idaho Springs. To maintain public safety, this work requires stopping I-70 traffic in both directions intermittently each day between the hours of 6 a.m. and 5 p.m., Mondaythrough Thursday, and 6 a.m. until noon on Friday. To keep travelers safe, eastbound I-70 traffic will be stopped at Exit 239 and westbound traffic at Exit 241 while crews remove loose rocks from two cliff walls above the highway.

Unlike the recent emergency rock fall mitigation work when contractors used large equipment to remove boulders in danger of falling onto I-70 near Floyd Hill, next week’s work involves using hand-held tools to remove loose rock from the slopes so anchor bolts and mesh material can be installed on the slopes to mitigate rock slides.

Crews will work for 20 minutes at a time to remove loosened rocks from the rock face while I-70 traffic is stopped before verifying the slope is stable and releasing traffic. Depending on the length of the queue that needs to clear, drivers could experience delays of up to 45 minutes. As soon as the queues are cleared in each direction, I-70 traffic will again be stopped so scaling operations can continue. 

This work is being done in conjunction with the Peak Period Shoulder Lane Project that is upgrading 13 miles of eastbound I-70 from the Empire Junction to Idaho Springs to convert the shoulder into a third, optional tolled express lane that can be used during peak travel periods. This project is scheduled to be substantially complete on Oct. 31, 2015, and when finished, drivers using the express lane will save nearly 30 minutes in travel time from the Eisenhower/Johnson Memorial Tunnels to the top of Floyd Hill.

PROJECT INFORMATION: For more information on this project, visit www.i70ppsl.com or call the project hotline at 303-223-6581. For information on I-70 travel conditions, visit COTrip.org, download the CDOT Mobile app, sign up for GovDelivery or call 511. Updates are also available via Twitter @coloradodot and CDOT’s Facebook page at Facebook.com/coloradodot.