Public invited to participate in I-70 East Project meetings

August 7, 2015 - Denver Metro/CDOT Region 1 - CDOT to provide new information, seek public input in August meetings.

DENVER – The Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT) and the High Performance Transportation Enterprise (HPTE) today announced they will host four upcoming meetings on the I-70 East Project in August.

At these meetings, the public will have the opportunity to learn important updates on the plans to reconstruct I-70 between Brighton Boulevard and I-225, as well as the next steps in the process to select a private partner to design, build, finance, operate and maintain the highway in northeast Denver. The series of meetings will include a telephone town hall that will focus on how a public-private partnership is being explored for this project and the developer selection process. Also, public meetings will be held in Commerce City, Aurora and Denver to discuss both the proposed improvements to the interstate and a possible public-private partnership to bring these improvements to Colorado. The public will have the opportunity to provide input on this public-private partnership process.

“We are nearing important milestones on I-70 East, which is a critical artery for Colorado,” said Tony DeVito, I-70 East project director.  “We have some important updates to share with the community and other interested stakeholders, so we encourage people to attend and utilize this opportunity to give us their input and to interact with others on the varied needs that this corridor does  serve.”

The schedule for the meetings is:

  • Commerce City Open House - Monday, Aug. 17, 4 - 6 p.m. CDOT and HPTE will provide information on both the project and the developer selection process. Commerce City Civic Center, 7887 E. 60th Ave., Commerce City.

  • Telephone Town Hall: Tuesday, Aug. 18, 7 - 8 p.m. Attendees are invited to join a live discussion about the developer selection process, ask questions and provide input. CDOT will release the I-70 East project’s Draft Request for Proposals (RFP) this fall. The telephone town hall will discuss the RFP and the next steps in the procurement process. There will be no presentation on the environmental study. The public can join by calling 1-877-229-8493 PIN 112034.

  • Aurora Corridor-Wide Meeting: Wednesday, Aug. 19, 5:30 - 7:30 p.m., Aurora Strong Resilience Center, 1298 Peoria St., Aurora. CDOT and HPTE will provide information and receive input on both the project and the developer selection process. A short presentation will begin at 6:15 p.m., followed by questions and answers.

  • Denver Corridor-Wide Meeting:  Thursday, Aug. 20, 5:30 – 7:30 p.m., Swansea Recreation Center, 2650 E. 49th Ave., Denver. CDOT and HPTE will provide information and receive input on both the project and the developer selection process. A short presentation will begin at 6:15 p.m., followed by questions and answers.

During the corridor-wide meetings, CDOT will provide information about the preferred alternative to be identified in the Final EIS as well as the proposed first phase of the project. The current phase one project for I-70 East includes adding a tolled Express Lane in each direction on I-70 from Interstate-25 to Interstate-225, removing the 50-year-old viaduct and lowering the interstate between Brighton Blvd. and Colorado Blvd, and constructing a four-acre cover over a portion of the lowered interstate by Swansea Elementary School.

“We hope the public will join us at either the upcoming telephone town hall or the corridor-wide meetings,” said Michael Cheroutes, HPTE Director. “We want to keep them informed every step of the way as we continue through this process to find the most qualified team for I-70 East. We are hosting these meetings to let the public know we are listening to them and value their input in the process of selecting a developer for the I-70 East project.”

The process of selecting a developer for I-70 East does not predetermine the final project that will be constructed, which will be determined at the end of the environmental study process in summer 2016.

The Final EIS is due to be released early next year. Construction is scheduled to begin in 2017.

For more information, visit www.coloradohpte.com and www.codot.gov/projects/i70east and for more information on the environmental study, visit www.I-70east.com.