I-70 Express Lanes: Evergreen to Idaho Springs
The I-70 Floyd Hill Project encompasses an 8-mile section of the I-70 Mountain Corridor from west of Evergreen to eastern Idaho Springs that acts as an economic gateway for the state of Colorado and the nation. Home to long-time residents, dozens of large and small businesses and tourism traffic, this section of I-70 is in desperate need of improvements.
Improvements include:
- Adding a third westbound I-70 travel lane in this two-lane bottleneck, which will function as a full-time, tolled Express Lane from just east of Homestead Road (Exit 247) through the Veterans Memorial Tunnels to Colorado Boulevard/Idaho Springs (Exit 241).
- Rebuilding bridges due to wear and tear and heavy usage.
- Constructing a missing 2-mile section of the frontage road between US Highway 6 and the Hidden Valley/Central City Parkway interchanges, which will improve emergency response.
- Building an extended on-ramp from US 6 onto eastbound I-70 for slow-moving vehicles to have more room to merge.
- Improving traffic flow and access at interchanges and intersections.
- Improving sight distance and safety by straightening roadway curves.
- Improving the Clear Creek Greenway trail.
- Implementing environmental mitigation to enhance wildlife connectivity, air and water quality, stream conditions and recreation.
- Installing two permanent air quality monitors.
Corridor Basics
- Under construction.
- 4.5 miles of Express Lanes on I-70 from Evergreen to Idaho Springs.
- When construction is completed:
• These lanes will be open 24/7.
• All motorcycles and vehicles will be tolled.
• No HOV 3+ available.
• Adjustable toll pricing system will be used – prices will depend on the day of the week.
• Overhead signage will indicate current toll prices and if the lane is open or closed. Tolls will be collected through the vehicle’s ExpressToll account or License Plate Toll.