The Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT) is reporting significant progress on the I-70 Floyd Hill Project, which aims to upgrade an eight-mile stretch of Interstate 70 between Evergreen and eastern Idaho Springs. As the 2025 construction season concludes, motorists are expected to see benefits from improved roads before winter begins.
“As a busy 2025 construction season is wrapping up across Colorado, travelers will have improved roads throughout the state to make trips safer and smoother,” said CDOT Executive Director Shoshana Lew. “The Floyd Hill team has achieved some significant milestones that will make the drive through this large construction zone a little easier, even as construction activity continues through the winter and into 2026. We will be keeping busy fixing our roads and bridges to make sure everyone gets where they’re going safely and reliably.”
Since construction began in July 2023, crews have nearly completed three miles of I-70 from County Road 65 (Exit 248) to mid-Floyd Hill. This section now features a widened highway with new pavement and striping for full-width lanes and shoulders. The new alignment is designed to accommodate both a future eastbound extended on-ramp for slow vehicles and a westbound Express Lane alongside two general-purpose lanes.
“Through innovative design and the dedication of the CDOT team, our contractor partner Kraemer North America, and dozens of local small businesses, the project now moves into its most ambitious phase: constructing a brand-new segmental bridge right alongside and above today’s I-70,” said Kurt Kionka, CDOT’s I-70 Floyd Hill Project Director. “We’ll be building a modern, safer highway while keeping this vital corridor moving. We understand the challenges construction brings to the local community, businesses and motorists traveling through the area. But we know this work will deliver benefits that both save and improve lives.”
Additional upgrades include installing two miles of wildlife fencing along with escape ramps and deer guards intended to reduce wildlife-vehicle collisions by up to 90%. Improved drainage systems are being put in place to manage snowmelt and rainwater accumulation. New retaining walls are also being built along eastbound I-70 using shotcrete techniques designed for stability while maintaining a natural look.
In 2026, further progress will be visible as crews construct new westbound and eastbound bridge structures adjacent to current traffic between mid-Floyd Hill and Hidden Valley/Central City Parkway interchange (Exit 243). Overnight closures on westbound I-70 are planned for early December 2025 so workers can install temporary frameworks needed for building a concrete cast-in-place segmental bridge over live traffic.
Rock scaling and blasting operations—which enable road widening—will continue into next year during off-peak weekday hours. Since October 2024, crews have conducted more than 130 blasts, removing over half a million tons of material.
More than 1,200 field employees have contributed upwards of half a million work hours so far on this project. Kraemer North America leads with support from over one hundred Colorado-based subcontractors.
To keep updated on travel impacts or lane closures related to this project, CDOT encourages drivers to sign up for text alerts by texting “floydhill” to 21000 or subscribe for weekly advisories via their website at codot.gov/projects/i70floydhill.
The project aims ultimately to add an Express Lane westbound between Evergreen and Idaho Springs; build missing sections of frontage road; extend ramps; improve access at interchanges; enhance sight distance around curves; upgrade recreational trails; and facilitate safer wildlife crossings. The entire realignment is expected by 2028 with final completion targeted for 2029.
