Nightly congestion on the Interstate 70 mountain corridor is giving way to weekday congestion, as crews work to finish a tolled express lane by the end of the year.
The work on the will start Tuesday during daylight hours. The switch will allow paving and milling crews to avoid colder overnight temperatures, according to the Colorado Department of Transportation.
That means that anyone traveling on eastbound I-70 should expect delays.
Crews are widening eastbound I-70 between mile markers 232 and 242 to create a third, optional tolled express lane that will be used during peak travel periods.
The toll lane should cut travel times on the corridor with charges ranging from $3 to $30 depending on the time of day and the nature of the traffic, say CDOT planners.
Work next week will begin at mile point 232, which is the U.S. Highway 40 interchange to Empire and Winter Park. The eastbound I-70 off- and on-ramps at U.S. 40 will be closed from 2 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Tuesday and Wednesday, CDOT says. There also will be a single-lane closure along eastbound I-70. Work there could extend into Thursday.
To detour around this work, eastbound I-70 drivers should continue to Exit 234, turn left, and re-enter westbound I-70 to reach U.S. 40, while anyone traveling from Winter Park should take westbound I-70 and exit at Georgetown — exit 228 — to access eastbound I-70.
When the widening work is finished near this interchange, crews will move their operations to the east to mile point 239 and begin working their way east toward Idaho Springs. It will take about one month to widen this section of eastbound I-70.
During this time, drivers can expect single-lane closures between the hours of 6 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Thursday and 6 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Fridays, say CDOT.
There will also be other work going on along the I-70 corridor, so CDOT warns drivers they should expect delays each weekday, especially between 1-6 p.m., when the highest traffic volumes are expected.
Monte Whaley: 720-929-0907, mwhaley@denverpost.com or @montewhaley
