The numbers are astounding.
In the first three years of CDOT’s largest and most expensive project, the sprawling rebuild of I-70 at Floyd Hill, road crews have triggered 211 controlled blasts and removed nearly 766,000 tons of material. That is equal to seven Statues of Liberty and the same volume as seven Ford-class aircraft carriers. Between CDOT and its primary contractor, Kraemer North America, 1,250 employees have spent more than 850,00 hours in rain, snow, hail and sun, subcontracting with 152 Colorado-based businesses and more than 100 suppliers.
And that is just the halfway point.
CDOT today celebrated what it calls a major milestone for “safer, more reliable travel” on the I-70 mountain corridor. For the everyday driver, that means the end of extended closures for rock blasting – mostly.
“As of July 2026, rock blasting operations for the I-70 Floyd Hill Project are now substantially complete,” CDOT writes in a statement. “With substantial completion of rock scaling and blasting on the Project, motorists can expect a significant decrease in daily traffic holds.”
‘Live lift’
Now comes the next phase of the project, what CDOT calls the “live lift,” when the new elevated roadway is built over live traffic. Massive concrete columns are already in place.
“In 2026 and for the duration of the Project, motorists will begin to see more visible bridge piers and decks as the new westbound I-70 alignment takes shape along both sides of Clear Creek from US 40 to the Hidden Valley/Central City Parkway interchange,” the release continues.
This comes with staggered, directional closures on I-70. They will be common but not as disruptive as the complete holds for blasting.
CDOT believes Floyd Hill is still on track to open by 2029.
Big bridge, big cost
What began as a $700 million project has ballooned to roughly $900 million, according to the latest CDOT estimates.
Time, scope and the growing cost of material have made this project more expensive, but CDOT remains committed, in part because Floyd Hill is supported by Colorado’s largest Federal transportation grant.
More than I-70
Floyd Hill is bigger than the new elevated roadway. CDOT explains what else you will see in coming years:
“In June 2026, crews began construction of a roundabout at the Hidden Valley/Central City Parkway interchange. The Hidden Valley/Central City Parkway roundabout construction will occur in multiple phases, with the first phase lasting through early 2027. The new roundabout will improve traffic flow, safety and operations while connecting the to-be-built US 6 frontage road to Central City Parkway.
“Crews also began construction of a noise wall along westbound I-70 in eastern Idaho Springs, west of the Veterans Memorial Tunnels. The noise wall will be approximately 16 feet tall and 620 feet long, and will significantly reduce traffic and industrial noise for nearby residents.
“Later this summer, crews will conduct various traffic shifts on eastbound and westbound I-70 to open up new work areas between the Veterans Memorial Tunnels and US 6 (Exit 244).”