State transportation officials began asking companies Wednesday to submit their qualifications for the $1.2 billion rebuilding of in Denver.
The Colorado Department of Transportation’s Request for Qualifications is one of the first important steps toward getting the I-70 project underway.
CDOT wants to contract with a private firm for a series of remakes of I-70 between I-25 to I-225, including new express toll lanes and the permanent removal of the 50-year-old viaduct near Swansea Elementary in north Denver.
The Request for Qualifications is a document that outlines CDOT’s priorities and goals for the I-70 project. The RFQ is the first formal step in pursuing a possible partnership with the private sector on construction, operation and maintenance reponsibilities for that section of the interstate, said Tim Gagen, chair of the CDOT’s High Performance Transportation Enterprise board of directors.
The transportation enterprise is charged with pursuing companies to enter into public-private partnerships with CDOT for large road projects that can’t be built with just taxpayer dollars.
“Colorado must access all of the tools in the transportation financial toolbox to address our growing population and infrastructure needs,” Gagen said.
