Interstate 70’s eastbound side will be closed for several miles through northeast Denver during the weekend to give crews on the Central 70 project time to prepare for a major traffic shift.
The closure starts at 10 p.m. Friday at Washington Street and runs through I-70’s interchange with Interstate 270. The Colorado Department of Transportation says the highway will reopen to eastbound traffic in a new configuration by 5 a.m. Monday.
During the weekend, eastbound traffic will be rerouted north on Interstate 25, then to eastbound Interstate 76 and I-270, which will take drivers back onto I-70 in northeast Denver. Westbound traffic won’t be affected by the closure.
Monday’s shift will move eastbound traffic into its final configuration on the south side of the rebuilt I-70. Since early last year, eastbound and westbound traffic have been squeezed into the north half of the highway between Brighton and Colorado boulevards.
The $1.3 billion Central 70 expansion project, which runs from I-25 to Chambers Street in Aurora, is nearing its end after four years. In coming months, crews will complete final touches on the westbound side west of Colorado Boulevard and will finish installation of a 4-acre city park atop a highway cover in the Elyria-Swansea neighborhood.
