Construction on a key stretch of Interstate 70 in the Colorado mountains is set to enter its final phase later this month, bringing renewed traffic impacts as crews complete safety and infrastructure upgrades at Vail Pass.
The Colorado Department of Transportation said work on the West Vail Pass Auxiliary Lane Project will resume April 20 and continue through September, marking the final construction season for the multi-year effort.
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The project, which began in 2021, is designed to improve safety and traffic flow along a roughly 10-mile stretch of the corridor, a critical route through the Colorado Rockies.
“As we enter the final season of this critical project, our focus is on a safe and successful project completion,” said Shoshona Lew in a statement. “Every element of this work will make Vail Pass more resilient, reduce crashes and closures and provide a more reliable and enjoyable trip for everyone traveling on the I-70 mountain corridor.”
This year’s construction will include completion of six wildlife crossings, installation of an avalanche and rockfall mitigation system in an area known as The Narrows, and resurfacing of westbound lanes.
Crews will also carry out landscaping and finalize improvements to a recreation path that runs alongside the highway.
The upgrades are part of a broader push to enhance long-term durability and environmental compatibility in mountainous terrain, where weather and geological conditions often pose challenges to infrastructure.
To date, the transportation department has completed two new bridges designed for a 100-year lifespan, improved roadway geometry and constructed a 2.7-mile eastbound auxiliary lane to separate slower-moving commercial vehicles from passenger traffic.
Additional completed work includes laying five miles of fiber-optic cable, installing new drainage systems to protect Gore Creek and reconstructing portions of the recreation path.
Motorists should expect intermittent disruptions throughout the construction season.
Beginning April 20, single-lane closures may occur daily in both directions between mile markers 180 and 190. In May, traffic will shift into a head-to-head configuration using newly constructed eastbound lanes to allow crews to continue work on the roadway and wildlife underpasses.
From early to mid-June, rock scaling operations will require traffic holds from 9:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m., Monday through Thursday.
Later in the summer, installation of avalanche and rockfall mitigation systems will bring occasional traffic stops of up to 20 minutes in both directions, though officials said only a limited number of such delays are expected.
Night work may also take place throughout the project, particularly during peak construction months.
Despite the ongoing work, the Vail Pass Recreation Path is expected to remain open, though users may encounter intermittent holds and variable conditions near construction zones.
Transportation officials are encouraging travelers to sign up for alerts and monitor updates as the project progresses toward completion.
Once finished, the improvements are expected to deliver safer travel conditions, reduced congestion and greater reliability along one of Colorado’s most heavily traveled mountain corridors.
Originally reported by Post Independent.
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