Public Invited to Learn About I-70/Kipling Interchange Project Design and Provide Input

WHEAT RIDGE—From 5 to 7 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 30, CDOT invites the public to an open house to learn and provide feedback about the confirmed I-70/Kipling Interchange preferred alternative.

CDOT will share information about the Diverging Diamond Interchange, which was chosen as the preferred alternative after a public meeting in March 2017, and will gather public input that CDOT and the Federal Highway Administration can consider before finalizing an environmental assessment document.

A Planning and Environmental Linkages (PEL) study of the I-70/Kipling Street Interchange was completed in July 2013. This detailed transportation study provided a plan for future improvements to reduce congestion, optimize operations, improve safety and accommodate multimodal connections at the interchange.

The 18-month National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) and Preliminary Design phase began in late 2016. The first step of this process was to determine the preferred alternative for the interchange configuration.

Building upon the PEL study recommendations and incorporating consideration of new information available following the study, the team evaluated benefits and impacts of three interchange configurations. The Diverging Diamond Interchange configuration has been confirmed as the preferred alternative because it will provide substantial safety benefits for all modes of travel and improved vehicular operations. This design was selected after gathering input from the public at an open house meeting earlier this year.

Public comments regarding the project design will be gathered prior to finalizing the Environmental Assessment, which will fully investigate the anticipated benefits and impacts of the proposed project.

Preliminary results of the anticipated environmental impacts, as well as the latest project design, will be available at the public meeting. Funding has not yet been identified for construction. Public and agency input will be used throughout the decision-making process.

Information presented at the meeting will be made available on the project web page after the meeting.