CDOT wants input on trail adjoining I-70 Floyd Hill project

While construction continues along the $700
million CDOT I-70 Floyd Hill project, the
nearby Clear Creek Greenway Trail has been
closed for several months.

during weekday hours between 7 a.m. and
5:30 p.m. Drivers accessing westbound I-70
can avoid the closure by traveling east on U.S.
40 or I-70 to Lookout Mountain and taking the
on-ramp to the interstate.

escape
ramp en-
trance.

CDOT said
some lane
restrictions
will occur at
various times
at both project loca-
tions. The new escape ramp project is expected
to be completed in late May or early June.

With spring approaching, CDOT is seeking
input on alternative trail access from those
who use the trail. The state asks trail users to
participate in an online survey at  www.budd.
ly.481yqZb.  The survey will close on Friday,
Feb. 23.

Projects between Floyd Hill and Den-
ver

Meanwhile, two other CDOT projects be-
tween C-470 and Floyd Hill continue to im-
pact traffic between Floyd Hill and C-470 in
Golden.

Photo courtesy CDOT.

A section of the trail remains closed between
U.S. 6 (Exit 244) and the Hidden Valley-
Central City Parkway (Exit 243) during road
construction and utility work. CDOT said the
work is expected to last until later this spring.
However, users should expect ongoing trail
impacts and closures through spring 2027.
The one-mile part of the trail will remain an
active construction zone and is considered un-
safe for multi-use travel, although other parts
of the trail will remain open.

This week and next, parts of I-70 and
U.S. 40 near Genesee will be subject to
closing so CDOT can continue construc-
tion of a $10 million wildlife underpass
along the interstate.

Project overview
The $700 million I-70 Floyd Hill project will build a
third westbound I-70 travel lane, which will function
as an Express Lane, to improve the current two-lane
bottleneck heading down Floyd Hill westbound. The
new toll lane will begin near the top of Floyd Hill west-
bound and will be a fly-over lane that will end near the
Veterans Memorial Tunnels.

The closures are scheduled between
7 a.m. and 5:30 p.m. Mondays through
Fridays through Feb. 17. Drivers ac-
cessing U.S. 40 eastbound can detour
around the closure by using eastbound
I-70 to the Lookout Mountain exit.
Westbound drivers cannot take the exits
at Genesee and Mount Vernon Road.

• Constructing a missing two-mile section of the
frontage road between Evergreen and Idaho
Springs.

Utility work in the vicinity
This week, construction crews continue to
conduct utility work between 8 a.m. and 3 p.m.
on U.S. 6 at the U.S. 40 junction and the U.S. 6
on-ramp to westbound I-70. The area is below
Floyd Hill and near the Two Bears taproom.

• Building an eastbound I-70 extended on-ramp for
slow-moving vehicles. Improving traffic flow and
access at interchanges and intersections within
the project limits.

The wildlife underpass area has
been ongoing for months near the top
of Genesse Hill and is expected to be
completed this spring. On unannounced
days, the left lane, heading westbound,
is closed to accommodate the work. Mo-
torists should read the orange construc-
tion signs heading up I-70 from Morri-
son to learn if the work may impact the
traffic flow.

• Improving sight distance on roadway curves.
Improving the Clear Creek Greenway trail. Imple-
menting environmental mitigation to create safer
wildlife movements and improve air and water
quality and stream conditions an d recreation.

I-70 ramp closure
The Homestead Road on-ramp to westbound
I-70 – at the top of Floyd Hill – will remain
closed through Friday, Feb. 16, although
weather may play a factor in the reopening
plans.

Driver cautions
CDOT said motorists should expect narrower lanes
and shoulders, reduced speed limits as low as 45 mph
and increased truck traffic entering and exiting the work
zones. All construction activities are weather-dependent
and subject to change. During construction, the exist-
ing I-70 travel lanes will remain open in each direction
during peak daytime travel hours. Lane closure hours
for the duration of construction will vary based on the
season, day of the week, number of lanes being closed
and travel direction.

Motorists near the top of Floyd Hill on U.S.
40 should continue west on U.S. 40, travel
down the hill and use the U.S. 6 interchange to
access westbound I-70.

The larger project includes rebuilding
the eastbound emergency truck escape
ramp between Mt. Vernon Road (Exit
256) and the Morrison exit (Exit 259).
There will be overnight double-lane clo-
sures on eastbound I-70 in the vicinity.
The emergency ramp has been closed
for weeks.

Highway 6 restrictions
Along Clear Creek Canyon (Highway 6),
ongoing, single-land closures are planned
from 5 a.m. to 7 p.m. between mile points 267
and 271.5. The restrictions will continue today
through Friday, Feb. 23, according to CDOT.

• The escape ramp work will include:

Project sections
The Floyd Hill project is divided into three sections.
The East Section is from the west of Evergreen to mid-
way down Floyd Hill near the Black Hawk interchange
(Exit 244). The West Section is from near Exit 243
(Central City Parkway) to the Veterans Memorial Tun-
nels near Idaho Springs. The Central Section is from
the middle of Floyd Hill through Exit 243 (Central
City/Hidden Valley exit). The east section began this
spring and continues through June 2026. The West
section is expected to start this fall and will conclude
in the fall of 2027. The Central section has begun and
will continue into 2028. The East part of the project
includes installing two new traffic roundabouts along
Highway 40, at County Road 65 and Homestead Road.
Flagmen control traffic during some of the daytime
work.

• New signage.

The planned restrictions are part of the
ongoing Peak to Plains Huntsman Gulch trail
project that began last year in Jefferson Coun-
ty, between Highway 119 and Golden.

• Larger barriers between the ramp
and the steep embankment.

• Additional cameras.

New I-70 Golden closure
Westbound I-70 near Golden will experience
random lane closures until later this month

• New ramp lighting.

• A new design intended to allow late
entry for truckers who miss the

Construct crews
installing rebar on
wall along Floyd Hill.

For information on the Highway 6/Clear Creek
Canyon project being conducted by Jeffco, visit  www.
jeffco.us/P2P . Phone information is available at 720-
893-0403. The email address is peak2plains@gmail.
com. For real-time travel information, visit  www.
COtrip.org.