Online public meeting launches today for the Westbound I-70 Peak Period Shoulder Lane

May 29, 2018 - CDOT proposing to help reduce congestion on westbound I-70 by adding a Peak Period Shoulder Lane between the Veterans Memorial Tunnels and Empire Junction


CLEAR CREEK COUNTY—CDOT is hosting an online public meeting that launches today, May 29, 2018 for the Westbound I-70 Peak-Period Shoulder Lane project.

The meeting can be accessed at www.i70wbshoulderlane.com where the public can learn more about the proposed peak-period shoulder lane and the benefits it will offer, while also providing feedback, questions or concerns throughout the meeting with interactive surveys.

Topics include an overview of the project, benefits of a Peak Period Shoulder Lane, environmental impacts, proposed schedule and next steps. The public can participate in the online meeting starting May 29, 2018, through July 1, 2018.

For those without easy access to a computer or internet, computers are available for public use at the following libraries in or near the project area:

  • Clear Creek Library District
    219 14th Ave.
    Idaho Springs 80452
  • John Tomay Memorial Library
    605 6th St.
    Georgetown 80444

If a viewer wishes to receive information about the project in another format, please call 303-223-6581. An in-person meeting will also be held in early fall 2018.

The Westbound I-70 Peak Period Shoulder Lane project is currently going through a National Environmental Policy Act process, which is studying a proposed lane on a 12-mile stretch of westbound I-70 in the mountains between the Veterans Memorial Tunnels and Empire Junction, similar to the existing Eastbound I-70 Mountain Express Lane. The National Environmental Policy Act process is anticipated to be complete in fall 2018. Construction is planned to begin in late spring or summer of 2019, assuming funding is identified.

Project Info

It's more important than ever to make improvements on westbound I-70; more than 91,000 people moved to Colorado in 2016, topping more than 5.5 million residents. Congestion has become extreme starting at the base of Floyd Hill on Friday afternoons and Saturday mornings, which can sometimes create delays of up to two hours from Denver to the Eisenhower-Johnson Memorial Tunnels.

Congestion has a big impact on the local economy, tourism and the number of crashes. It can even block local access points during gridlock on I-70, which prevents people from getting home.

CDOT is dedicated to providing the best solutions for the I-70 mountain corridor community members as well as those who work and play in the mountains.

Learn more at www.codot.gov/projects/i-70-westbound-peak-period-shoulder-lane