AARoads Forum

http://www.denverpost.com/breakingnews/ci_20526487/plan-i-70-viaduct-calls-dropping-road-below?nstrack=sid:2853292

My first choice would be they go with the option that relocates to the north around the neighborhood along I-270. The sticky point with that one is it would slice right through the National Western Complex, but now there's a possibility the Stock Show might relocate, so it could be the opportunity CDOT needs to do the rerouting. Getting it completely out of the neighborhood seems like the best idea.

Barring that, depressing it would be a logical second choice. Doesn't have the intrusion an elevated viaduct has.

Either way, they do something by 2018 or risk closing I-70 due to the viaduct's deplorable condition.

Resurrecting an old thread, planning has continued on the "I-70 East" project, focusing on the elevated segment just east of the I-25 interchange (the Mousetrap). Community meetings have been underway through the fall.

The project now has its own webpage: http://i-70east.com/. Some interesting excerpts from http://i-70east.com/project-overview.html include a brief history of the segment of I-70 under study:

QuotePlanning for I-70 started nearly 60 years ago. As part of the recommendation for the "Valley Highway,"  now known as I-25, it was determined that Denver's major east-west thoroughfare should be located along 46th Avenue to the east of I-25 and 48th Avenue to the west. In 1947, Denver formally requested that the 46th/48th Avenue corridor be designated as a State Highway from Sheridan Boulevard to Colorado Boulevard. Detailed studies and design efforts continued in the 1950s and 1960s, and I-70 construction was completed in 1964. ...

In July 2003, CDOT and Denver's Regional Transportation District (RTD) began a joint study effort called the I-70 East Corridor Environmental Impact Statement (EIS). ... The purpose of the I-70 East Corridor EIS was to improve transportation along the I-70 highway corridor from I-25 to Tower Road and to explore potential rapid transit options from Downtown Denver to Denver International Airport.

In June 2006, the highway and transit elements of the I-70 East Corridor were separated into two independent projects, reflecting that they serve different travel markets, are located in different corridors, and have different funding sources. The intent of the separated highway environmental study, the I-70 East EIS, is to identify highway improvements along I-70 between I-25 and Tower Road that would improve safety, access, and mobility and address congestion. The transit study, the East Corridor EIS, is focusing on transit improvements between downtown Denver and Denver International Airport. Additional information on the East Corridor EIS can be found at: www.rtd-fastracks.com/ec_1.

In 2008, a Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS) was released, analyzing four alternatives, two on the existing alignment and two realignment alternatives (2008 DEIS Alternatives). No preferred alternative was identified in the DEIS. ...

Due to a lack of strong support for any of the 2008 DEIS alternatives, CDOT and FHWA initiated a collaborative process to identify a preferred alternative. The Preferred Alternative Collaborative Team (PACT) was formed in July 2010, consisting of a group of stakeholders representing federal and state agencies, local governments, and community and business interests. After extensive deliberations–including two corridor-wide meetings–the PACT did not reach consensus on a preferred alternative. ...

(T)he 2008 Draft EIS alternatives were modified and a new alternative option was developed that better met the project's purpose, need, goals, and objectives and satisfied the public's and agencies' expectations. The project team then worked with the community and interested stakeholders along the corridor to further analyze the alternatives and develop a preferred alternative. ...

The I-70 East Supplemental Draft Environmental Impact Statement (SDEIS) has an anticipated release date of Spring 2014. A public comment period will follow this release.

Also interesting is that the alternative to reroute I-70 along I-270 and I-76 was removed as an alternative as part of the SDEIS process:

QuoteRecently, there have been many questions about whether CDOT is evaluating an alternative that would realign I-70 around Denver using Interstates 270 and 76. This alternative was eliminated from consideration early in the project process, as documented in the Draft EIS (DEIS).

The preliminary approved alternative, at least prior to issuance of the SDEIS, is (according to http://i-70east.com/alternatives.html):

QuoteThe project team has preliminarily identified the Partial Cover Lowered Alternative as the I-70 East project's preferred alternative. The City of Denver champions this choice of location because of the important role I-70 plays in supporting commerce and providing redundancy in our transportation system in the case of major incidents. This position is shared by the Downtown Denver Partnership and the Denver Chamber of Commerce, as well as Adams County and Commerce City.

The Partial Cover Lowered Alternative was developed in response to the lack of strong public support for the alternatives proposed in the 2008 Draft Environmental Impact Statement. This Alternative adds additional lanes in each direction of the highway to provide better mobility between I-25 and Tower Road, removes the existing viaduct between Brighton Boulevard and Colorado Boulevard, rebuilds I-70 along this segment below grade on the existing alignment, and places a cover on the highway between Columbine Street and Clayton Street next to Swansea Elementary School. The preferred alternative will be constructed with a 75- to 100-year life expectancy.

More about the particulars of the partial cover lowered alternative is also found on the webpage.

Regards,
Andy

So another Big Dig may be in the works? Interesting.

Quote from: andy3175 on January 01, 2014, 04:36:45 PM
Also interesting is that the alternative to reroute I-70 along I-270 and I-76 was removed as an alternative as part of the SDEIS process

Good. Sane heads prevailed here.

Putting the freeway below grade and decking a bit of it over will reduce its impact on the neighborhood while maintaining its ability to carry traffic. This is the right solution.

Discussion continues about the reconstruction of this stretch of highway as evidenced in recent news reports...

http://www.denverpost.com/News/Local/ci_26841352/Swansea-parents-worry-how-CDOT-plan-for-I70-will-impact-neighborhood

QuoteThey worry that a Colorado Department of Transportation proposal to widen and add a toll to I-70 will lead to dust, dirt and traffic problems during construction. They fear the good reconstruction jobs will go to people not connected to the neighborhood and that the 500-enrollment Swansea will be shuttered and their kids bused elsewhere. Once I-70 is rebuilt, the parents also fret that high housing and rental rates will follow, forcing them from an area where they've lived in most of their lives. But while CDOT's plans make them nervous, parents are also suspicious of a push to remove I-70 entirely from their backyards and put it instead in an alignment near I-270 and I-76. They like the idea of getting rid of the viaduct in favor of an underground highway with a park covering it. The new alignment proposal is being pushed by a group with no ties to the Swansea area and few concerns about the well-being of residents, say the parents. ... Critics have blasted the CDOT plan, saying it will lead to environmental disaster. They point to a recent report from the American Planning Association that says CDOT is moving ahead based on flawed, out-dated data while ignoring social and economic justice issues. The parents agree the viaduct is hazardous, saying rocks and bits of concrete have fallen on them or their children. Its pillars also make driving confusing. They unanimously favor the cap over the highway, which will connect them to other parts of Denver.

http://www.denverpost.com/News/ci_26977774/CDOTs-I70-east-plan-attracts-900-comments-as-process-continues

QuoteThe Colorado Department of Transportation received more than 900 comments about its $1.8 billion plan to add tolls to Interstate 70 in northeast Denver and run a portion of the highway below grade. The comments were recorded as part of an environmental study of the project over a 45-day period that ended on Oct. 31. On Thursday, CDOT officials made all comments available on i-70east.com, its project website. That move is unprecedented, said CDOT executive director Don Hunt.

http://www.denverpost.com/news/ci_27029775/i-70-widening-plans-attract-fire-from-denver

QuoteMetro-area faith leaders say a $1.8 billion plan to widen a portion of Interstate 70 in northeast Denver should be scuttled because it is a public health threat and will break up low-income families in the area. A group of faith organizations, led by members of the Iliff School of Theology, outlined their concerns with the I-70 proposal in an October letter to Don Hunt, executive director of the Colorado Department of Transportation. The letter is now on a Change.org petition. The faith group hopes that CDOT will either drop its I-70 plan or alter it to better suit the homes and businesses in the Swansea and Elyria neighborhoods. ...

CDOT's plan calls for destroying I-70's decaying, 50-year-old viaduct between Brighton and Colorado boulevards and to place the highway below grade. CDOT wants to add two toll lanes in each direction between I-25 and Tower Road and put a nearly four-acre, landscaped cover over the highway by Swansea Elementary. Plans to improve I-70 have been discussed and studied for nearly 10 years and CDOT studied about 90 proposals before settling on the so-called "Partial Cover Lowered Alternative."

Quote from: andy3175 on November 28, 2014, 11:43:14 PM
Discussion continues about the reconstruction of this stretch of highway as evidenced in recent news reports...

http://www.denverpost.com/News/Local/ci_26841352/Swansea-parents-worry-how-CDOT-plan-for-I70-will-impact-neighborhood

QuoteThey worry that a Colorado Department of Transportation proposal to widen and add a toll to I-70 will lead to dust, dirt and traffic problems during construction. They fear the good reconstruction jobs will go to people not connected to the neighborhood and that the 500-enrollment Swansea will be shuttered and their kids bused elsewhere. Once I-70 is rebuilt, the parents also fret that high housing and rental rates will follow, forcing them from an area where they've lived in most of their lives. But while CDOT's plans make them nervous, parents are also suspicious of a push to remove I-70 entirely from their backyards and put it instead in an alignment near I-270 and I-76. They like the idea of getting rid of the viaduct in favor of an underground highway with a park covering it. The new alignment proposal is being pushed by a group with no ties to the Swansea area and few concerns about the well-being of residents, say the parents. ... Critics have blasted the CDOT plan, saying it will lead to environmental disaster. They point to a recent report from the American Planning Association that says CDOT is moving ahead based on flawed, out-dated data while ignoring social and economic justice issues. The parents agree the viaduct is hazardous, saying rocks and bits of concrete have fallen on them or their children. Its pillars also make driving confusing. They unanimously favor the cap over the highway, which will connect them to other parts of Denver.

http://www.denverpost.com/News/ci_26977774/CDOTs-I70-east-plan-attracts-900-comments-as-process-continues

QuoteThe Colorado Department of Transportation received more than 900 comments about its $1.8 billion plan to add tolls to Interstate 70 in northeast Denver and run a portion of the highway below grade. The comments were recorded as part of an environmental study of the project over a 45-day period that ended on Oct. 31. On Thursday, CDOT officials made all comments available on i-70east.com, its project website. That move is unprecedented, said CDOT executive director Don Hunt.

http://www.denverpost.com/news/ci_27029775/i-70-widening-plans-attract-fire-from-denver

QuoteMetro-area faith leaders say a $1.8 billion plan to widen a portion of Interstate 70 in northeast Denver should be scuttled because it is a public health threat and will break up low-income families in the area. A group of faith organizations, led by members of the Iliff School of Theology, outlined their concerns with the I-70 proposal in an October letter to Don Hunt, executive director of the Colorado Department of Transportation. The letter is now on a Change.org petition. The faith group hopes that CDOT will either drop its I-70 plan or alter it to better suit the homes and businesses in the Swansea and Elyria neighborhoods. ...

CDOT's plan calls for destroying I-70's decaying, 50-year-old viaduct between Brighton and Colorado boulevards and to place the highway below grade. CDOT wants to add two toll lanes in each direction between I-25 and Tower Road and put a nearly four-acre, landscaped cover over the highway by Swansea Elementary. Plans to improve I-70 have been discussed and studied for nearly 10 years and CDOT studied about 90 proposals before settling on the so-called "Partial Cover Lowered Alternative."

So, in other words, they bitch about how dangerous the I-70 viaduct is currently due to it's age, they'll bitch that a replacement is bad for them, and they'll bitch if I-70 is completely taken away from their neighborhood. 

I have a box of rocks sitting behind my shed with more intelligence than those people.

Quote from: thenetwork on December 01, 2014, 10:20:27 PM

Quote from: andy3175 on November 28, 2014, 11:43:14 PM
Discussion continues about the reconstruction of this stretch of highway as evidenced in recent news reports...

http://www.denverpost.com/News/Local/ci_26841352/Swansea-parents-worry-how-CDOT-plan-for-I70-will-impact-neighborhood

QuoteThey worry that a Colorado Department of Transportation proposal to widen and add a toll to I-70 will lead to dust, dirt and traffic problems during construction. They fear the good reconstruction jobs will go to people not connected to the neighborhood and that the 500-enrollment Swansea will be shuttered and their kids bused elsewhere. Once I-70 is rebuilt, the parents also fret that high housing and rental rates will follow, forcing them from an area where they've lived in most of their lives. But while CDOT's plans make them nervous, parents are also suspicious of a push to remove I-70 entirely from their backyards and put it instead in an alignment near I-270 and I-76. They like the idea of getting rid of the viaduct in favor of an underground highway with a park covering it. The new alignment proposal is being pushed by a group with no ties to the Swansea area and few concerns about the well-being of residents, say the parents. ... Critics have blasted the CDOT plan, saying it will lead to environmental disaster. They point to a recent report from the American Planning Association that says CDOT is moving ahead based on flawed, out-dated data while ignoring social and economic justice issues. The parents agree the viaduct is hazardous, saying rocks and bits of concrete have fallen on them or their children. Its pillars also make driving confusing. They unanimously favor the cap over the highway, which will connect them to other parts of Denver.

http://www.denverpost.com/News/ci_26977774/CDOTs-I70-east-plan-attracts-900-comments-as-process-continues

QuoteThe Colorado Department of Transportation received more than 900 comments about its $1.8 billion plan to add tolls to Interstate 70 in northeast Denver and run a portion of the highway below grade. The comments were recorded as part of an environmental study of the project over a 45-day period that ended on Oct. 31. On Thursday, CDOT officials made all comments available on i-70east.com, its project website. That move is unprecedented, said CDOT executive director Don Hunt.

http://www.denverpost.com/news/ci_27029775/i-70-widening-plans-attract-fire-from-denver

QuoteMetro-area faith leaders say a $1.8 billion plan to widen a portion of Interstate 70 in northeast Denver should be scuttled because it is a public health threat and will break up low-income families in the area. A group of faith organizations, led by members of the Iliff School of Theology, outlined their concerns with the I-70 proposal in an October letter to Don Hunt, executive director of the Colorado Department of Transportation. The letter is now on a Change.org petition. The faith group hopes that CDOT will either drop its I-70 plan or alter it to better suit the homes and businesses in the Swansea and Elyria neighborhoods. ...

CDOT's plan calls for destroying I-70's decaying, 50-year-old viaduct between Brighton and Colorado boulevards and to place the highway below grade. CDOT wants to add two toll lanes in each direction between I-25 and Tower Road and put a nearly four-acre, landscaped cover over the highway by Swansea Elementary. Plans to improve I-70 have been discussed and studied for nearly 10 years and CDOT studied about 90 proposals before settling on the so-called "Partial Cover Lowered Alternative."

So, in other words, they bitch about how dangerous the I-70 viaduct is currently due to it's age, they'll bitch that a replacement is bad for them, and they'll bitch if I-70 is completely taken away from their neighborhood. 

I have a box of rocks sitting behind my shed with more intelligence than those people.

No matter what happens to I-70, they will gripe about it, they deserve to be ignored

Quote from: iBallasticwolf2 on March 28, 2015, 03:23:35 PM

Quote from: thenetwork on December 01, 2014, 10:20:27 PM

Quote from: andy3175 on November 28, 2014, 11:43:14 PM
Discussion continues about the reconstruction of this stretch of highway as evidenced in recent news reports...

http://www.denverpost.com/News/Local/ci_26841352/Swansea-parents-worry-how-CDOT-plan-for-I70-will-impact-neighborhood

QuoteThey worry that a Colorado Department of Transportation proposal to widen and add a toll to I-70 will lead to dust, dirt and traffic problems during construction. They fear the good reconstruction jobs will go to people not connected to the neighborhood and that the 500-enrollment Swansea will be shuttered and their kids bused elsewhere. Once I-70 is rebuilt, the parents also fret that high housing and rental rates will follow, forcing them from an area where they've lived in most of their lives. But while CDOT's plans make them nervous, parents are also suspicious of a push to remove I-70 entirely from their backyards and put it instead in an alignment near I-270 and I-76. They like the idea of getting rid of the viaduct in favor of an underground highway with a park covering it. The new alignment proposal is being pushed by a group with no ties to the Swansea area and few concerns about the well-being of residents, say the parents. ... Critics have blasted the CDOT plan, saying it will lead to environmental disaster. They point to a recent report from the American Planning Association that says CDOT is moving ahead based on flawed, out-dated data while ignoring social and economic justice issues. The parents agree the viaduct is hazardous, saying rocks and bits of concrete have fallen on them or their children. Its pillars also make driving confusing. They unanimously favor the cap over the highway, which will connect them to other parts of Denver.

http://www.denverpost.com/News/ci_26977774/CDOTs-I70-east-plan-attracts-900-comments-as-process-continues

QuoteThe Colorado Department of Transportation received more than 900 comments about its $1.8 billion plan to add tolls to Interstate 70 in northeast Denver and run a portion of the highway below grade. The comments were recorded as part of an environmental study of the project over a 45-day period that ended on Oct. 31. On Thursday, CDOT officials made all comments available on i-70east.com, its project website. That move is unprecedented, said CDOT executive director Don Hunt.

http://www.denverpost.com/news/ci_27029775/i-70-widening-plans-attract-fire-from-denver

QuoteMetro-area faith leaders say a $1.8 billion plan to widen a portion of Interstate 70 in northeast Denver should be scuttled because it is a public health threat and will break up low-income families in the area. A group of faith organizations, led by members of the Iliff School of Theology, outlined their concerns with the I-70 proposal in an October letter to Don Hunt, executive director of the Colorado Department of Transportation. The letter is now on a Change.org petition. The faith group hopes that CDOT will either drop its I-70 plan or alter it to better suit the homes and businesses in the Swansea and Elyria neighborhoods. ...

CDOT's plan calls for destroying I-70's decaying, 50-year-old viaduct between Brighton and Colorado boulevards and to place the highway below grade. CDOT wants to add two toll lanes in each direction between I-25 and Tower Road and put a nearly four-acre, landscaped cover over the highway by Swansea Elementary. Plans to improve I-70 have been discussed and studied for nearly 10 years and CDOT studied about 90 proposals before settling on the so-called "Partial Cover Lowered Alternative."

So, in other words, they bitch about how dangerous the I-70 viaduct is currently due to it's age, they'll bitch that a replacement is bad for them, and they'll bitch if I-70 is completely taken away from their neighborhood. 

I have a box of rocks sitting behind my shed with more intelligence than those people.

No matter what happens to I-70, they will gripe about it, they deserve to be ignored

They'll gripe for being ignored. ;)

Quote from: Bickendan on March 29, 2015, 02:31:05 PM

Quote from: iBallasticwolf2 on March 28, 2015, 03:23:35 PM

Quote from: thenetwork on December 01, 2014, 10:20:27 PM

Quote from: andy3175 on November 28, 2014, 11:43:14 PM
Discussion continues about the reconstruction of this stretch of highway as evidenced in recent news reports...

http://www.denverpost.com/News/Local/ci_26841352/Swansea-parents-worry-how-CDOT-plan-for-I70-will-impact-neighborhood

QuoteThey worry that a Colorado Department of Transportation proposal to widen and add a toll to I-70 will lead to dust, dirt and traffic problems during construction. They fear the good reconstruction jobs will go to people not connected to the neighborhood and that the 500-enrollment Swansea will be shuttered and their kids bused elsewhere. Once I-70 is rebuilt, the parents also fret that high housing and rental rates will follow, forcing them from an area where they've lived in most of their lives. But while CDOT's plans make them nervous, parents are also suspicious of a push to remove I-70 entirely from their backyards and put it instead in an alignment near I-270 and I-76. They like the idea of getting rid of the viaduct in favor of an underground highway with a park covering it. The new alignment proposal is being pushed by a group with no ties to the Swansea area and few concerns about the well-being of residents, say the parents. ... Critics have blasted the CDOT plan, saying it will lead to environmental disaster. They point to a recent report from the American Planning Association that says CDOT is moving ahead based on flawed, out-dated data while ignoring social and economic justice issues. The parents agree the viaduct is hazardous, saying rocks and bits of concrete have fallen on them or their children. Its pillars also make driving confusing. They unanimously favor the cap over the highway, which will connect them to other parts of Denver.

http://www.denverpost.com/News/ci_26977774/CDOTs-I70-east-plan-attracts-900-comments-as-process-continues

QuoteThe Colorado Department of Transportation received more than 900 comments about its $1.8 billion plan to add tolls to Interstate 70 in northeast Denver and run a portion of the highway below grade. The comments were recorded as part of an environmental study of the project over a 45-day period that ended on Oct. 31. On Thursday, CDOT officials made all comments available on i-70east.com, its project website. That move is unprecedented, said CDOT executive director Don Hunt.

http://www.denverpost.com/news/ci_27029775/i-70-widening-plans-attract-fire-from-denver

QuoteMetro-area faith leaders say a $1.8 billion plan to widen a portion of Interstate 70 in northeast Denver should be scuttled because it is a public health threat and will break up low-income families in the area. A group of faith organizations, led by members of the Iliff School of Theology, outlined their concerns with the I-70 proposal in an October letter to Don Hunt, executive director of the Colorado Department of Transportation. The letter is now on a Change.org petition. The faith group hopes that CDOT will either drop its I-70 plan or alter it to better suit the homes and businesses in the Swansea and Elyria neighborhoods. ...

CDOT's plan calls for destroying I-70's decaying, 50-year-old viaduct between Brighton and Colorado boulevards and to place the highway below grade. CDOT wants to add two toll lanes in each direction between I-25 and Tower Road and put a nearly four-acre, landscaped cover over the highway by Swansea Elementary. Plans to improve I-70 have been discussed and studied for nearly 10 years and CDOT studied about 90 proposals before settling on the so-called "Partial Cover Lowered Alternative."

So, in other words, they bitch about how dangerous the I-70 viaduct is currently due to it's age, they'll bitch that a replacement is bad for them, and they'll bitch if I-70 is completely taken away from their neighborhood. 

I have a box of rocks sitting behind my shed with more intelligence than those people.

No matter what happens to I-70, they will gripe about it, they deserve to be ignored

They'll gripe for being ignored. ;)

True

Quote from: iBallasticwolf2 on March 29, 2015, 05:19:09 PM

Quote from: Bickendan on March 29, 2015, 02:31:05 PM

Quote from: iBallasticwolf2 on March 28, 2015, 03:23:35 PM

Quote from: thenetwork on December 01, 2014, 10:20:27 PM

Quote from: andy3175 on November 28, 2014, 11:43:14 PM
Discussion continues about the reconstruction of this stretch of highway as evidenced in recent news reports...

http://www.denverpost.com/News/Local/ci_26841352/Swansea-parents-worry-how-CDOT-plan-for-I70-will-impact-neighborhood

QuoteThey worry that a Colorado Department of Transportation proposal to widen and add a toll to I-70 will lead to dust, dirt and traffic problems during construction. They fear the good reconstruction jobs will go to people not connected to the neighborhood and that the 500-enrollment Swansea will be shuttered and their kids bused elsewhere. Once I-70 is rebuilt, the parents also fret that high housing and rental rates will follow, forcing them from an area where they've lived in most of their lives. But while CDOT's plans make them nervous, parents are also suspicious of a push to remove I-70 entirely from their backyards and put it instead in an alignment near I-270 and I-76. They like the idea of getting rid of the viaduct in favor of an underground highway with a park covering it. The new alignment proposal is being pushed by a group with no ties to the Swansea area and few concerns about the well-being of residents, say the parents. ... Critics have blasted the CDOT plan, saying it will lead to environmental disaster. They point to a recent report from the American Planning Association that says CDOT is moving ahead based on flawed, out-dated data while ignoring social and economic justice issues. The parents agree the viaduct is hazardous, saying rocks and bits of concrete have fallen on them or their children. Its pillars also make driving confusing. They unanimously favor the cap over the highway, which will connect them to other parts of Denver.

http://www.denverpost.com/News/ci_26977774/CDOTs-I70-east-plan-attracts-900-comments-as-process-continues

QuoteThe Colorado Department of Transportation received more than 900 comments about its $1.8 billion plan to add tolls to Interstate 70 in northeast Denver and run a portion of the highway below grade. The comments were recorded as part of an environmental study of the project over a 45-day period that ended on Oct. 31. On Thursday, CDOT officials made all comments available on i-70east.com, its project website. That move is unprecedented, said CDOT executive director Don Hunt.

http://www.denverpost.com/news/ci_27029775/i-70-widening-plans-attract-fire-from-denver

QuoteMetro-area faith leaders say a $1.8 billion plan to widen a portion of Interstate 70 in northeast Denver should be scuttled because it is a public health threat and will break up low-income families in the area. A group of faith organizations, led by members of the Iliff School of Theology, outlined their concerns with the I-70 proposal in an October letter to Don Hunt, executive director of the Colorado Department of Transportation. The letter is now on a Change.org petition. The faith group hopes that CDOT will either drop its I-70 plan or alter it to better suit the homes and businesses in the Swansea and Elyria neighborhoods. ...

CDOT's plan calls for destroying I-70's decaying, 50-year-old viaduct between Brighton and Colorado boulevards and to place the highway below grade. CDOT wants to add two toll lanes in each direction between I-25 and Tower Road and put a nearly four-acre, landscaped cover over the highway by Swansea Elementary. Plans to improve I-70 have been discussed and studied for nearly 10 years and CDOT studied about 90 proposals before settling on the so-called "Partial Cover Lowered Alternative."

So, in other words, they bitch about how dangerous the I-70 viaduct is currently due to it's age, they'll bitch that a replacement is bad for them, and they'll bitch if I-70 is completely taken away from their neighborhood. 

I have a box of rocks sitting behind my shed with more intelligence than those people.

No matter what happens to I-70, they will gripe about it, they deserve to be ignored

They'll gripe for being ignored. ;)

True

http://memegenerator.net/instance/60128333

Update on the I-70 Widening/expansion project in northeast Denver... the PIRG report is discussed in detail at https://www.aaroads.com/forum/index.php?topic=17302.0.

http://www.denverpost.com/news/ci_29403900/i-70-expansion-plan-denver-huge-waste-tax

Quote$1.2 billion proposal to widen and toll parts of Interstate 70 through northeast Denver is being called one of the country's most wasteful highway projects by a national public interest group.

But state planners for I-70 say their designs for the highway will improve local neighborhoods, cut congestion and provide welcome alternatives for motorists. They said the project is a 100-year investment in the corridor.

"We will have an express lane to encourage car pooling, a commuter rail line will soon be opening nearby, ... these are the types of projects we want to see developed," said Rebecca White, spokeswoman for the east I-70 project. "We are going to do this in a very thoughtful way."

Still, a report by the Colorado Public Interest Research Group, or CoPIRG – unveiled under the shadow of the I-70 viaduct near Swansea Elementary School – says the I-70 proposal will burn up at least $58 million in taxpayer dollars. That's funding that could go toward investing in other forms of transportation, like a commuter bus service or in programs to discourage driving, said Danny Katz, director of the CoPIRG Foundation.

CoPIRG lumps the I-70 proposal with 11 national highway projects that will waste at least $24 billion in tax dollars. The report says the projects are "wrongly prioritizing expansion over repair of existing infrastructure" and are based on poor projections of future needs. ...

At a news conference Tuesday near Swansea Elementary, which is next to the I-70 expansion area, Katz said the viaduct is a "dirty mess" but added that expanding the highway to 10 lanes is not needed.

"We need to be spending our limited transportation dollars on repairing and maintaining our current roads and bridges and investing in transportation solutions that reduce the need for costly and disruptive highway expansion projects," Katz said.

He said research shows that adding more lanes on highways does not solve congestion, but rather creates more traffic in which more drivers spend more time behind the wheel.

CDOT, however, says its plan remakes a badly worn highway while also adding alternatives like toll lanes. They will encourage motorists to get off the general purpose lanes and relieve congestion. The agency says the section of I-70 is congested up to 10 hours a day and carries up to 220,000 vehicles daily.

"I-70 can't handle the traffic now, and we are looking at a 40 to 50 percent growth over the next few years," said White. "If we do nothing, you can expect it to take 65 minutes to travel 12 miles on the highway."

CDOT wants to remove the deteriorating 50-year-old viaduct on I-70 between Brighton Boulevard and Colorado Boulevard, lowering the highway below grade and adding two tolled express lanes in each direction.

The viaduct would be replaced with a 4-acre green cover near the elementary school. This will reunite the Swansea and Elyria neighborhoods.

The plan has also garnered support from various groups including the Denver Chamber of Commerce, National Western Stock Show, Union Pacific Railroad and the Elyria-Swansea Business Association.

The public review period for the Final EIS is from January 15, 2016 through March 2, 2016: http://www.i-70east.com/reports.html#feis

http://www.denverpost.com/news/ci_29394395/final-environmental-report-plans-i-70-north-denver

QuoteThe preferred fix for I-70 calls for removing the deteriorating, 50-year-old viaduct between Brighton and Colorado boulevards; lowering I-70 between Brighton and Colorado boulevards, just east of I-25, about 40 feet; building a nearly 4-acre landscaped cover over I-70 as it runs by Swansea Elementary School; and adding tolled express lanes in each direction of the interstate.

CDOT's plan for the corridor has been met with some opposition, and officials say the FEIS helps answer the critics of its proposal. ...

A final decision on CDOT's plan is scheduled for this summer. CDOT hopes to begin construction in late 2017 after a private partner is selected to design, build, finance, operate and maintain the project.

I just looked at the viaduct on Google Maps via Streetview, and that is one ugly viaduct. It is good that it is being replaced. I like the idea of adding toll lanes to the corridor. Hopefully it should improve mobility along that stretch of Interstate 70.

The street beneath the viaduct is creepy too!

This viaduct has always been very interesting to me. US 6 actually runs on the lower portion, and has since it was rerouted onto Vasquez Boulevard, which was well before the freeway was built. I have a pic of the US 6 reassurance shield from below the deck somewhere, but even Google Maps shows this if you zoom in. The top is just decrepit: no merge lanes, limited guardrails, narrow lanes. A lot of it has to be below modern interstate standards.
Depressing it, creating a Big Dig style urban boulevard or even something similar to what was done with the CA 15 connection in San Diego, where they just plopped a park on top of it, would be really nice, even though that may remove one of the more interesting sections of Route 6.
They should jump on this now, while it's still a crappy neighborhood. It's only a matter of time before the hipsters from RiNo have to find another place, drive up the property values and make ROW acquisition a lot harder.

Quote from: andy3175 on January 25, 2016, 12:05:54 AM
Update on the I-70 Widening/expansion project in northeast Denver... the PIRG report is discussed in detail at https://www.aaroads.com/forum/index.php?topic=17302.0 (https://www.aaroads.com/forum/index.php?topic=17302.0).

http://www.denverpost.com/news/ci_29403900/i-70-expansion-plan-denver-huge-waste-tax (http://www.denverpost.com/news/ci_29403900/i-70-expansion-plan-denver-huge-waste-tax)

Quote$1.2 billion proposal to widen and toll parts of Interstate 70 through northeast Denver is being called one of the country's most wasteful highway projects by a national public interest group.

But state planners for I-70 say their designs for the highway will improve local neighborhoods, cut congestion and provide welcome alternatives for motorists. They said the project is a 100-year investment in the corridor.

"We will have an express lane to encourage car pooling, a commuter rail line will soon be opening nearby, ... these are the types of projects we want to see developed," said Rebecca White, spokeswoman for the east I-70 project. "We are going to do this in a very thoughtful way."

Still, a report by the Colorado Public Interest Research Group, or CoPIRG – unveiled under the shadow of the I-70 viaduct near Swansea Elementary School – says the I-70 proposal will burn up at least $58 million in taxpayer dollars. That's funding that could go toward investing in other forms of transportation, like a commuter bus service or in programs to discourage driving, said Danny Katz, director of the CoPIRG Foundation.

CoPIRG lumps the I-70 proposal with 11 national highway projects that will waste at least $24 billion in tax dollars. The report says the projects are "wrongly prioritizing expansion over repair of existing infrastructure" and are based on poor projections of future needs. ...

At a news conference Tuesday near Swansea Elementary, which is next to the I-70 expansion area, Katz said the viaduct is a "dirty mess" but added that expanding the highway to 10 lanes is not needed.

"We need to be spending our limited transportation dollars on repairing and maintaining our current roads and bridges and investing in transportation solutions that reduce the need for costly and disruptive highway expansion projects," Katz said.

He said research shows that adding more lanes on highways does not solve congestion, but rather creates more traffic in which more drivers spend more time behind the wheel.

CDOT, however, says its plan remakes a badly worn highway while also adding alternatives like toll lanes. They will encourage motorists to get off the general purpose lanes and relieve congestion. The agency says the section of I-70 is congested up to 10 hours a day and carries up to 220,000 vehicles daily.

"I-70 can't handle the traffic now, and we are looking at a 40 to 50 percent growth over the next few years," said White. "If we do nothing, you can expect it to take 65 minutes to travel 12 miles on the highway."

CDOT wants to remove the deteriorating 50-year-old viaduct on I-70 between Brighton Boulevard and Colorado Boulevard, lowering the highway below grade and adding two tolled express lanes in each direction.

The viaduct would be replaced with a 4-acre green cover near the elementary school. This will reunite the Swansea and Elyria neighborhoods.

The plan has also garnered support from various groups including the Denver Chamber of Commerce, National Western Stock Show, Union Pacific Railroad and the Elyria-Swansea Business Association.

[...]

Let me guess what COPIRG supports.....converting existing I-70 into a surface boulevard with light rail and moving I-70 to I-270 or I-470??

Quote from: coatimundi on January 27, 2016, 02:30:07 PM
This viaduct has always been very interesting to me. US 6 actually runs on the lower portion, and has since it was rerouted onto Vasquez Boulevard, which was well before the freeway was built. I have a pic of the US 6 reassurance shield from below the deck somewhere, but even Google Maps shows this if you zoom in.

Got an exact location? There's a sign on northbound Steele showing that US 6 hops on I-70 there: http://usends.com/Explore/US87inCO/index.html

Quote from: NE2 on January 27, 2016, 10:44:15 PM

Quote from: coatimundi on January 27, 2016, 02:30:07 PM
This viaduct has always been very interesting to me. US 6 actually runs on the lower portion, and has since it was rerouted onto Vasquez Boulevard, which was well before the freeway was built. I have a pic of the US 6 reassurance shield from below the deck somewhere, but even Google Maps shows this if you zoom in.

Got an exact location? There's a sign on northbound Steele showing that US 6 hops on I-70 there: http://usends.com/Explore/US87inCO/index.html

No! And now that I'm looking at it again, Google Maps and me are wrong. I mean, I guess it's a bit of a stretch to imagine US 6 exiting from I-70 at Brighton Boulevard, making a left, then a hard right, then following that lower deck, but that would so cool.
I did find my picture of that sign, but mine is from the westbound ramp to Brighton Boulevard. I had always assumed it was just a preliminary marker, since 6 was to join at the next ramp. The set of pictures I wanted were conveniently archived on a different computer that is not hooked up. So, instead of actually hooking it up, this sent me on a whirlwind of research, and I discovered Colorado's OTIS, which has just rocked my world. But that basically says about CODOT's dealing with federal highway-interstate multiplexes just as that link does: they don't exist. 006G ends at I-25, and 006H begins on the ramp to Steele. I looked at some older maps I had, but they weren't detailed or old enough, but I found a 1962 Denver map on eBay (http://www.ebay.com/itm/Vintage-1962-Chevron-Street-And-Vicinity-Map-of-Denver-Colorado-/171543114878?hash=item27f0c4347e:g:2GYAAMXQrhdTWKEd) that shows 46th Avenue connecting directly to an early version of the Mousetrap.
Interesting stuff, so I'm glad I was pointed to actually looking this up.

===edit===
I should add that you can tell that I-70/US 85/US 6 marker that's pictured on that site is above Brighton Boulevard as it's right next to the 275 mm sign, which is Brighton Boulevard. Steele is at 276.

I believe I first got word of this form the Citylab website, but it seems that I-70 is a cool freeway being built right on top of an existing street.  This is reminiscent of the BQE over 3rd Ave in Brooklyn.

Does 46th Ave get really busy?  Does it become the main alternate when I-70 is jammed?

Quote from: Anthony_JK on January 27, 2016, 09:34:45 PM
Let me guess what COPIRG supports.....converting existing I-70 into a surface boulevard with light rail and moving I-70 to I-270 or I-470??

The PIRG report in question is critical of "wrongly prioritizing expansion over repair of existing infrastructure".

The basic concept here is simple: that it is unwise for the state to be spending money on widening roads when they are struggling to maintain the roads they already have.

The logical thing to support based on this philosophy is leaving the existing viaduct in place and only doing the rehab work necessary to keep it standing, at least until CDOT has caught up on their deferred maintenance.

Quote from: mrsman on January 28, 2016, 06:48:40 PM
I believe I first got word of this form the Citylab website, but it seems that I-70 is a cool freeway being built right on top of an existing street.  This is reminiscent of the BQE over 3rd Ave in Brooklyn.

Does 46th Ave get really busy?  Does it become the main alternate when I-70 is jammed?

Usually if I-70 is jammed on either side of I-25, a lot of thru traffic will use I-76 and I-270 to bypass the area.  Even the traffic reporters will suggest using either I-76 and/or I-270 as alternates whenever logical.   

Also US-6/6th Avenue freeway and I-70 west of I-25 are common interchangeable alternates of each other when jams occur west of town.

The only times I recall traffic reporters suggesting surface streets as alternate routes is for I-25 (with Federal/US-287, Wadsworth and Pecos as suggested alternatives), when both US-6 and I-70 are jammed (Colfax/US-40/BL-70), and County Line which parallels the easternmost stretch of C(O)-470.

Quote from: coatimundi on January 27, 2016, 02:30:07 PM
This viaduct has always been very interesting to me. US 6 actually runs on the lower portion, and has since it was rerouted onto Vasquez Boulevard, which was well before the freeway was built. I have a pic of the US 6 reassurance shield from below the deck somewhere, but even Google Maps shows this if you zoom in. The top is just decrepit: no merge lanes, limited guardrails, narrow lanes. A lot of it has to be below modern interstate standards.

When I still lived in Denver I did everything I could to avoid driving this stretch of I-70 and fortunately there were usually other ways to get wherever I needed to go. 

Unlike Seattle's aging viaduct, Denver's does not have a pretty waterfront view to take your mind off the badness of the road itself.

Maybe it's just me, but I don't see what the issue (other than structural) would be with this highway. It looks like a typical 6 lane highway to me.

Is it jammed all the time?

Quote from: Buffaboy on March 22, 2016, 10:44:43 AM
Maybe it's just me, but I don't see what the issue (other than structural) would be with this highway. It looks like a typical 6 lane highway to me.

Is it jammed all the time?

It's a very old stretch of highway, with substandard interchanges, short merge & decel lanes and very little space for breakdowns.  Plus they like to have the motorcycle cops on the viaduct to slow traffic to a crawl.

Continuing with more news articles about ongoing efforts to rebuild I-70 east of I-25 as a cut and cover tunnel, with controversy and more opposition. Some still want I-70 rerouted onto I-270 and I-76, while converting the overhead viaduct into a surface boulevard.

http://www.coloradoindependent.com/160187/i-70-expansion-explained

QuoteCDOT is planning to alter the 10-mile section of I-70 that runs between I-25 and Chambers Road. The project runs through, and thus will most directly affect, the Elyria/Swansea and Globeville neighborhoods.
Why change the highway? The project was prompted by a need to finally fix an existing viaduct that has long been in disrepair. CDOT's plan is multi-step. First, they will "cut and cover"  part of the existing highway: That means removing the viaduct and completely rebuilding the section between Brighton Boulevard and Colorado Road – this time, below ground level – and installing a four-acre landscaped park on top of part the lowered section. The section of highway from Colorado Road to I-270 will also be rebuilt, but at its existing, above-ground level.
CDOT also plans to add an express lane in each direction in two sections: I-270  to Chambers Road and I-25 to Brighton. They will accomplish this by widening and restriping those sections, respectively.
CDOT estimates that the whole project will cost $1.17 billion. Construction is expected to begin after summer 2017.
Some residents of the Elyria/Swansea and Globeville neighborhoods say expansion will mean a substantial shift in what those areas look like and how much traffic flows through them.
CDOT says that its primary goals are to "make the interstate safer, relieve congestion, and address aging infrastructure."  But detractors fear that it will cause more problems than it solves.

This article offers the following reasons why there is opposition to the cut and cover proposal:

1. They're worried about air pollution

2. They think it's unfair to have to pay for stormwater drainage

3. They think the expansion is really about Mayor Hancock's pet project: the National Western Complex

4. They don't like that it will alter a well-loved, affordable golf course

5. They don't think it will decrease traffic

6. Community input has been...negative

7. They think it's an antiquated design

8. They're worried it will make gentrification even worse


http://denver.streetsblog.org/2016/12/02/elyria-swansea-residents-tell-cdot-i-70-widening-is-a-nightmare/

QuoteElyria, Swansea, and Globeville residents have a message for the Colorado Department of Transportation, Governor John Hickenlooper, and Mayor Michael Hancock: After being marginalized for decades, they won't stand for a wider I-70 getting rammed through their neighborhoods.

About 75 people dug their heels in Thursday night at a community center in Swansea. After plenty of public hearings that went according to CDOT's script, they wanted to wrest control of the conversation from CDOT and the City and County of Denver.

One of the most outspoken residents against the plan to dig a 40-foot trench and widen the freeway by four lanes is Anthony Lovato, a third-generation Swansea native who now lives in Globeville. Lovato also happens to be a CDOT engineer.

Lovato fearlessly spoke out as a private citizen. "I am a CDOT employee, but I don't speak for CDOT. I don't represent CDOT,"  he said. "But I'm totally against this. I'm against the ditch."

Lovato's mother still lives in Swansea, but his father died of cancer at 59. He questioned whether the air and soil pollution spawned by the city's historical neglect of the neighborhoods led to his dad's early death. Lovato also shared his professional opinion about tripling the size of a road that has divided the mostly Latino, working class neighborhood from the rest of Denver since the 1960s.

"From my perspective... this is an engineering nightmare,"  he said. "This is a construction nightmare. The people that are working on this don't want to be working on it. That's how bad it is. Nobody's excited about this project. You can talk to other CDOT employees, they're not gonna tell you they're excited about this. It's a nightmare."

Opposition to the I-70 project is gaining momentum. Earlier this year, the Federal Highway Administration delayed its decision on the project following an air quality lawsuit. Neighborhoods to the south are suing the city over a drainage project tied to the road expansion. Most recently, a coalition of north Denver neighborhood organizations filed a civil rights complaint with the U.S. Department of Transportation.

These wins have CDOT running scared, said community advocate Candi CdeBaca. ...

Advocates want to see the highway rerouted north through Adams County along I-270 and I-76, which they say CDOT has never seriously considered. There are fewer homes on that stretch within 500 feet of the roadway – just one for every 21 homes along I-70, according to advocates. A tree-lined boulevard would replace the stretch of I-70 through north Denver.

"What this alternative says is, "Why can't we have a 6th Avenue? Why can't we have a 17th? Why can't we have nice things?"  CdeBaca said. "This alternative proposes something that is nice. Something that will undo the harm that was done when I-70 was put in this neighborhood."

http://www.citylab.com/politics/2017/01/in-divided-denver-a-highway-promises-reconnection/512660/

QuoteThe playground at Swansea Elementary School sits less than 50 feet from the viaduct that carries I-70 through Denver. From the perspective of a driver on the interstate, the orange brick schoolhouse, faded gingerbread bungalows, and low-slung industrial plants surrounding this neighborhood flash by in seconds.

From the ground, however, it's impossible not to notice the highway. Since it was built in 1964, I-70 has defined life in Elyria-Swansea, a community of about 6,500 people and a lot of industry largely separated from the rest of Denver by six lanes of traffic. There's the smoke-billowing pet-food factory, the warehouses full of growing marijuana, the clutch of livestock yards. At recess, Swansea Elementary schoolchildren breathe the fumes from these smelly neighbors, and from the hundreds of thousands of cars and trucks that roar overhead daily. For some kids, getting to class means walking beneath the viaduct's crumbling underbelly, where hunks of concrete can drop without notice.

This will soon change. State highway engineers say this stretch has to be replaced, and after 14 years of studying, stalling, and battling over plans, they have an innovative–and expensive–fix: Dismantle the viaduct, dig a widened trench, shove the traffic below grade, and stick a grassy park on top.

For $1.2 billion, the Central 70 project promises to stitch this neighborhood back to the city. Its design is the outcome of a hard-fought battle by a community accustomed to being ignored. But not everyone is celebrating. As the tides of revitalization and gentrification lap against Elyria-Swansea's borders, some residents wonder whom these improvements will serve. Will a beautified highway really reconnect this long-isolated neighborhood? Or will it just push those who live here now even further away? ...

Construction hasn't even begun yet, but the reality of Central 70 is proving to be slightly different than the promise. The proposed cap is tiny–just 800 feet out of two miles of sunken trench–which means there will be far fewer pedestrian connections than currently exist beneath the viaduct. And the highway itself will widen from six lanes to 10, tripling its footprint. CDOT says that large fans flanking the highway cap will keep the park users from breathing in fumes, but air quality experts aren't convinced. Those familiar with the principle of induced demand are up in arms over the prospect that the improved I-70 will end up worsening congestion, as well as the neighborhood's existing pollution burden.

Fifty-six homes and seventeen businesses will be cleared out of the way; CDOT has already started buying up and demolishing some of them. Displaced residents are being compensated, but there's a strong sense that it isn't enough to resettle nearby–local property values are now beginning to creep up. Actually, make that rocket up. According to Zillow, Elyria-Swansea home values have increased more than 21 percent over the past year, and are predicted to rise another 9 percent within the next year.

In a federal complaint filed with the U.S. DOT's Office of Civil Rights, two community advocacy groups and the Elyria and Swansea Neighborhood Association assert that CDOT made offers based on 2012 home values, not current ones. "They're getting offers for $150,000 to $200,000, which can't buy anything in Denver,"  says Candi CdeBaca, an activist and organizer who leads the Cross Community Coalition, one of the complainants. (White, CDOT's communications liaison, says CDOT has followed all federally mandated compensation requirements–and that the process has even "resulted in some positive benefits for local residents,"  including renters becoming homeowners.) ...

Central 70's eye-popping renderings probably aren't motivating realtors all by themselves. This is Denver, one of the hottest housing markets in the country, where downtown's redevelopment shows little sign of slowing. Shortly after CDOT announced the cut-and-cover alternative, the city of Denver signaled other major changes coming to Elyria-Swansea. In early 2013, Mayor Michael Hancock established the North Denver Cornerstone Collaborative, a municipal office focused on turning the area into "a connected and sustainable community that will drive job creation and growth on a globally competitive scale."  The NDCC's function is to help streamline planning and strategize public-private financing for six separate projects in north Denver–including parts of the I-70 cap.

Also within the office's purview is a $900-million renovation of Elyria's National Western Center, a sprawling livestock complex slated to morph into a year-round tourist destination. Brighton Boulevard, a major industrial corridor at the eastern edge of the Central 70 project area, will be getting new sidewalks and bike lanes in a bid to lure commercial and residential development. The city also wants to start developing land around commuter-rail stations recently or soon to be opened around north Denver. The NDCC also worked with Elyria-Swansea to create its first-ever neighborhood plan, which recommended the city invest in updated infrastructure and better land-use separations–but unlike the NDCC's other projects, those improvements are largely unfunded. The I-70 makeover is in some ways the linchpin of these projects, as it will transform the area most dramatically.

It took me a few minutes of reading this thread this morning to realize that it was no longer 2016.

The section of the final EIS that talks about the 270/76 alternative has exactly what I thought when I first heard about that:

Quote"The I-270/I-76 reroute does not meet the project's purpose and need because it would add safety and congestion problems rather than improving those that exist today. While, in sense [sic], removing I-70 would "eliminate"  the current congestion and safety problems the project seeks to remedy (as there would no longer be an I-70 on that alignment), after its removal, traffic volumes on local streets will increase and transfer the safety and mobility problems from I-70 to the local network.

I think people automatically have this idea that traffic will just follow wherever the freeway goes, but it won't. In fact, I bet if you cut out I-70, Google Maps would tell you to take the surface streets to reach I-25. And it's a lot more dangerous for kids to have a surface street with heavy traffic than a cut-and-cover freeway, or even the creepy viaduct they have now (which is not very heavily utilized).
Even if the bridge over the railroad at the west end was completely removed, and all ramps from the I-25/70 interchange going east were taken out, people would still try to cut through.

It would be interesting because I'd like to see how they re-routed both US 6 and US 85 along the corridor if they got rid of I-70.

Quote from: coatimundi on January 17, 2017, 11:15:30 AM
It would be interesting because I'd like to see how they re-routed both US 6 and US 85 along the corridor if they got rid of I-70.

Yes, it would be interesting to see if CDOT even addressed that issue... because currently, they don't direct US 6 or US 85 traffic at all: once those routes reach an interstate in Denver, drivers are not shown how to continue following those routes.  There are a couple reassurance markers on I-70, but they're pretty pointless, since drivers were not told how to get there in the first place.  And you've heard what CDOT did in the Springs, right?  The route log for US 85 has it joining I-25 at a point where there is no access.  CDOT really doesn't seem to give a rip about US route continuity.

Quote from: coatimundi on January 17, 2017, 11:15:30 AM
It took me a few minutes of reading this thread this morning to realize that it was no longer 2016.

The section of the final EIS that talks about the 270/76 alternative has exactly what I thought when I first heard about that:

Quote"The I-270/I-76 reroute does not meet the project's purpose and need because it would add safety and congestion problems rather than improving those that exist today. While, in sense [sic], removing I-70 would "eliminate"  the current congestion and safety problems the project seeks to remedy (as there would no longer be an I-70 on that alignment), after its removal, traffic volumes on local streets will increase and transfer the safety and mobility problems from I-70 to the local network.

I think people automatically have this idea that traffic will just follow wherever the freeway goes, but it won't. In fact, I bet if you cut out I-70, Google Maps would tell you to take the surface streets to reach I-25. And it's a lot more dangerous for kids to have a surface street with heavy traffic than a cut-and-cover freeway, or even the creepy viaduct they have now (which is not very heavily utilized).
Even if the bridge over the railroad at the west end was completely removed, and all ramps from the I-25/70 interchange going east were taken out, people would still try to cut through.

It would be interesting because I'd like to see how they re-routed both US 6 and US 85 along the corridor if they got rid of I-70.

If those people are that clueless to think that traffic used to driving straight on I-70 won't simply continue on their supposedly wonderful "boulevard", and thusly choke up both their air and noise quality and further divide their neighborhoods, then that's their myopia. Personally, I'd simply rebuild the viaduct and use CSS design to mitigate the visual issues, but that's only me.

Quote from: Anthony_JK on January 18, 2017, 02:40:38 AM
Personally, I'd simply rebuild the viaduct and use CSS design to mitigate the visual issues, but that's only me.

CSS design?

I'm assuming you're not referring to "cascading style sheets" used in website designs...

Quote from: roadfro on January 18, 2017, 03:46:43 AM

Quote from: Anthony_JK on January 18, 2017, 02:40:38 AM
Personally, I'd simply rebuild the viaduct and use CSS design to mitigate the visual issues, but that's only me.

CSS design?

I'm assuming you're not referring to "cascading style sheets" used in website designs...

CSS = Context Sensitive Solutions, essentially rebuilding a highway facility to mesh with the surrounding area.

This page describes how CSS is being employed for the Lafayette, Louisiana, I-49 Connector project:

http://lafayetteconnector.com/the-project/completing-the-functional-plan/about-css/

CSS =  PR

Quote from: Rothman on January 18, 2017, 08:06:13 AM
CSS =  PR

It appears to be a made-up methodology for the sort of stakeholder involvement that's already been going on for years on this project. I don't like when I see future tense in a paragraph regarding a standards manual.

Will the opposition to the Interstate 70 project ultimately lead to its cancelation? Or will the DOT preserve, and complete construction of the project as planned?

Quote from: The Ghostbuster on January 18, 2017, 04:53:06 PM
Will the opposition to the Interstate 70 project ultimately lead to its cancelation? Or will the DOT preserve, and complete construction of the project as planned?

Why do you post crap like this?

I'm asking what I believe is a valid question, NE2. Please don't insult me. If the answer is unknowable, please say so.

What do you think? Can we see the future?

Quote from: Anthony_JK on January 18, 2017, 07:00:14 AM

Quote from: roadfro on January 18, 2017, 03:46:43 AM

Quote from: Anthony_JK on January 18, 2017, 02:40:38 AM
Personally, I'd simply rebuild the viaduct and use CSS design to mitigate the visual issues, but that's only me.

CSS design?

I'm assuming you're not referring to "cascading style sheets" used in website designs...

CSS = Context Sensitive Solutions, essentially rebuilding a highway facility to mesh with the surrounding area.

This page describes how CSS is being employed for the Lafayette, Louisiana, I-49 Connector project:

http://lafayetteconnector.com/the-project/completing-the-functional-plan/about-css/

Thanks. I was familiar with the concept, but hadn't seen it used as an acronym before.

Let me try again. Perhaps instead of a cut-and-cover tunnel, they should have gone with a deep-bored tunnel. I realize that would have jacked up the cost, and likely prolonged the construction schedule, but it might have alleviated the opposition's concerns. Then again, the only time I was in Denver was in the summer of 2013, when I visited my late grandfather and step-grandmother, and my time there did not bring me to the part of Denver where this project is going to be constructed. In any event, I think the proposal to reroute Interstate 70 to follow 76 and 270 won't make much difference in the scheme of things.

Quote from: The Ghostbuster on January 19, 2017, 03:45:41 PM
and my time there did not bring me to the part of Denver where this project is going to be constructed

It's been a pretty sorry area for a number of years, but that may be directly related to I-70's original construction. However, gentrification has also pushed up there from the south, so I think there are two things that aren't being said about this: the gentrifiers are likely some of the more vocal opponents of this; and improving the situation will only work to speed up the gentrification of this neighborhood, particularly north of I-70.

The proximity of the project to the river is also a concern but, in reading the hydrology section of the EIS, it seems as though that's the whole reason they've been building these drainage structures alongside the freeway.

Interstate 70 Central project receives FHWA approval on 1/19/2017:

http://denver.cbslocal.com/2017/01/19/federal-highway-administration-approves-i-70-project/

QuoteThe Federal Highway Administration has approved the Interstate 70 expansion project in the Elyria-Swansea and Globeville neighborhoods in northeast Denver.

CDOT says it's the final approval needed in the $1.2 billion proposal to remove the existing I-70 viaduct between Colorado and Brighton Boulevards, lower the highway approximately 30 feet below grade, and add toll lanes.

http://www.thedenverchannel.com/news/local-news/feds-sign-off-on-12b-plan-to-lower-cover-part-of-i-70-in-denver

QuoteThe $1.2 billion Central 70 Project is the result of years of research, discussions and public outreach seeking solutions for the aging 10-mile section of highway between I-25 and Chambers Road. State officials have said that section of roadway needs to be replaced within the next 10 years.

The project aims to relieve traffic congestion in the area while also connecting neighborhoods on either side of I-70 that have essentially been cut off from each other since the freeway was built in the mid-60s.

Plans for the project include adding a new express lane in each direction, demolishing the raised portion of the freeway, lowering it to below street level between Brighton and Colorado boulevards and covering the freeway with a four-acre park.

The park, which is being designed with the input from neighbors, will feature a sports field, play areas and spaces for concerts and farmers' markets.

The project also includes money for nearby neighborhoods, with plans to remodel parts of Swansea Elementary School and homes nearest to the freeway in Swansea and Elyria. An additional $2 million is earmarked for affordable housing in the area.

An infrastructure project of this size and scope doesn't come without some growing pains. Transportation officials said the Central 70 project will require displacing people from 56 residential properties and 17 businesses. Those people will receive relocation assistance and other help under the Department of Housing and Urban Development's Uniform Act.

The Central 70 project also includes a focus on providing work for local residents. Transportation officials aim to require filling 20 percent of construction jobs on the project with people who live in surrounding neighborhoods.

Design work on the freeway rebuild is expected to be completed this summer, with construction to begin sometime in 2018. The project is expected to take four to five years to complete.

Appears that sanity has prevailed here.  Removal of an ancient elevated structure, featuring depression, a deck park, and modest capacity improvements, along with modernization and safety improvements.   

I take it there are still no plans to temporarily or permanently 3-lane the mainlines of I-76 and I-270 in each direction in advance of the rebuild?  That is so going to be a choke-point for east-west construction bypass traffic, especially on I-270 as it is already over-capacity.

First it was Boston, then it was Seattle, and now it'll be Denver? Cool!

Quote from: thenetwork on January 22, 2017, 09:58:01 PM
I take it there are still no plans to temporarily or permanently 3-lane the mainlines of I-76 and I-270 in each direction in advance of the rebuild?  That is so going to be a choke-point for east-west construction bypass traffic, especially on I-270 as it is already over-capacity.

That's a good point, but I doubt that any of that is in the budget or plans.

It's too early to know what will happen, exactly, but these large-scale projects typically keep the road open in some form throughout the construction process. US 59 through Houston had a similar project, where an elevated section was lowered and widened, and it was always kept open, though with some understandable delays. But then there was the widening of I-10 through Tucson, where frontage roads were built specifically in preparation of the project to widen the mainlanes. The project timeline was significantly shortened by pushing traffic onto those frontage roads for several months, and they now have very underutilized 3-lane frontage roads on either side of the freeway.
That may happen here. The renderings show surface streets basically serving as frontage roads (as they do now), so there may be a period of time when I-70 does end up coming through the neighborhood.

This is one of three viaduct replacement projects I've recently been following (the others being 81 in Syracuse and 84 in Hartford).

In this case, although a reroute option (with a boulevard along the original route) was considered, it was ultimately turned down by TPTB (although there are still some groups trying to get TPTB to reconsider its decision).

In the other two cases, things are a bit different: with 84 in Hartford, there was never any serious consideration to reroute the highway (all of the "finalist" options had 84 essentially staying its present course). With 81 in Syracuse, however, the reroute/boulevard option seems to be the preferred option by TPTB (although it seems to be unpopular among some local/regional groups and elected officials, who are calling for 81 to stay its present course instead of rerouting it).

Now, I wonder if the groups which support the reroute/boulevard option for 70 will have any success in getting TPTB to reconsider their decision...

Quote from: TML on January 30, 2017, 11:58:03 PM
Now, I wonder if the groups which support the reroute/boulevard option for 70 will have any success in getting TPTB to reconsider their decision...

Welcome, and excellent first post.

With this, the second they seriously suggest using 270-76 as a new I-70 alignment, all the money that goes through that interchange on a daily basis is going to be up in arms.
My one time in Syracuse, I can recall I-81 through the city being pretty obtrusive. And 481 doesn't seem to add very much mileage. Is there that much thru traffic on I-81 through Syracuse? That's, I think, the big difference: I-70 through Denver sees a lot of thru traffic due to it being one of the only viable truck routes through the Rockies. But, also, we're not talking about Downtown Denver here. It's a low-density residential and light industrial area that's lived with this viaduct for 50 years. Divorcing all the bad things about it now is just infeasible. CDOT seems to realize this in its assessments, and though there's been a lot of meetings with the neighbors to mitigate impact, the total reroute some of them want has never been a serious consideration.

The internets knew what I had an interest and gave me a Facebook click-bait ad. But highly related:
http://www.citylab.com/commute/2017/01/the-highway-hit-list/514965/

I just looked at the elevated segment of I-70 in Denver on Google Street View, and it looks a lot like the elevated segment of I-70 in Topeka, except with more lanes.

I heard that when they depressed SR 15 here in San Diego, it led to a decrease in crime, prostitution, and the like in the North Park area. I don't know if that kind of effect will be had with the I-70, but it's worth a go.

I have one question. What would they do with the existing E. 46th Ave surface street if the depressed freeway option were pursued and constructed (theoretically)?

Likely it will be the ground-level frontage road(s) on either side of I-70.

Quote from: theroadwayone on April 04, 2017, 12:58:04 AM
I heard that when they depressed SR 15 here in San Diego, it led to a decrease in crime, prostitution, and the like in the North Park area. I don't know if that kind of effect will be had with the I-70, but it's worth a go.

AFAIK, CA 15 (sporadically signed as I-15 although not formally designated as such south of I-8) was always intended to be a depressed facility along the segment crossing El Cajon Blvd.  When the freeway was opened in the mid-90's, a significant level of gentrification occurred in the adjoining areas, which correspondingly led to the deployment of retail businesses, and in turn a lowered major crime rate (if not considering shoplifting, pickpocketing, and the like!).  Similar story to that of many venues. 

I found an article from last week in the Denver Post regarding theI-70 project: https://www.denverpost.com/2018/07/29/i-70-construction-project-denver-transportation-central-70/.

Its got a lot of good info. Tentative completion is for Spring 2022.

EDIT; They also broke ground for the project on August 3. https://www.denverpost.com/2018/08/03/interstate-70-construction-breaks-ground/

Here's a link to the official project webpage for Central 70:

https://www.codot.gov/projects/i70east

QuoteCentral 70, between I-25 and Chambers Road, is one of Colorado's economic backbones. It is home to 1,200 businesses, providing the regional connection to Denver International Airport and carrying upwards of 200,000 vehicles per day. It's time to bring this aging highway into the 21st century and rejoin communities along the way.

The Central 70 Project will reconstruct a 10-mile stretch of I-70 between Brighton Boulevard and Chambers Road, add one new Express Lane in each direction, remove the aging 57-year-old viaduct, lower the interstate between Brighton and Colorado boulevards, and place a 4-acre park over a portion of the lowered interstate.

CDOT has made a number of commitments to the local community as part of the Central 70 Project. These cover a range of issues, from mitigating the impacts of construction noise and dust to contributing funding to affordable housing and fresh food access.

The site provides progress of the work, including completed, in-progress, and upcoming phases. As of April 2021, here is the status:

Quote
A. COMPLETED WORK

1.West Segment (Brighton to Colorado boulevards)

+Demolished portion of the I-70 viaduct above Brighton Boulevard

+Reconstructed southbound lanes of Brighton under I-70

+Demolished old Union Pacific Railroad (UPRR) bridge

+Removed York Street on-ramp to westbound I-70

+Constructed Columbine and Clayton bridges in summer 2019

+Constructed Josephine, Fillmore and Monroe bridges in summer 2019 — summer 2020

+BNSF Bridge constructed

+46th North Avenue constructed between Colorado Boulevard and Steele Street

2.Central Segment (Colorado Boulevard to Quebec Street)

+Opened new ramp access to eastbound I-70 from southbound Colorado Boulevard, removed loop ramp

+Constructed a portion of the new Colorado Boulevard Bridge above I-70

+Demolished portions of the old Colorado Boulevard Bridge above I-70

+Installed and relocated utilities along Stapleton Drive

+Demolished portions of the I-70 bridges over Dahlia, Holly and Monaco in preparation for widening

+Rebuilt Stapleton North and South Drive intersections at Dahlia Street

+Rebuilt Stapleton South Drive intersection at Holly Street

+Rebuilt Stapleton South Drive intersection at Monaco Street

+Relocated Holly Street on-ramps to westbound and eastbound I-70 to their permanent locations

+Set girders on I-70 bridge above Dahlia and Holly streets

+Set girders on I-70 bridge above DRIR

+Completed Stapleton Drive North between Holly and Dahlia

3. East segment (Quebec Street to Chambers Road)

+Built I-270 flyover bridge

+Demolished old I-270 flyover

+Widened and shifted I-70 traffic to new pavement

+Demolished the I-70 bridge over Peoria and built a new bridge

+Median barriers installed

+Sign structures installed


B. ONGOING WORK

1. West Segment (Brighton to Colorado boulevards)

-Construction of the Brighton Boulevard interchange

-Closure of 46th Avenue from Brighton Boulevard to York Street – necessary for UPRR bridgework

-Construction of a portion of the new Union Pacific Railroad bridge adjacent to the old structure

-Construction of the pump station

-Installation of structural columns in lowered section

-Cover Park construction

-Cook Street Bridge construction

-Extensive utility relocations along 46th Avenue

2. Central Segment (Colorado Boulevard to Quebec Street)

-Construction of Colorado Boulevard Bridge

-Closure of Dahlia and Monaco streets to construct overhead bridges on I-70

-Utility installations and relocations

-Widening I-70

-DRIR Bridge construction

-Reconstruction of Quebec Street interchange

3.East Segment (Quebec Street to Chambers Road)

-Final paving of roadways


C. UPCOMING WORK IN THE NEXT SIX MONTHS

*Constructing the UPRR Bridge

*Construct York and Cook street bridges

*Demolish remaining old Colorado Boulevard Bridge

*Build remaining portion of the Colorado Boulevard bridge

*Constructing the I-70 bridges over Dahlia, Holly and Monaco

*Relocating Stapleton Drive utilities

*Widening I-70 between Colorado Boulevard and Quebec Street

*Shifting Stapleton Drive out between Colorado Boulevard and Quebec Street

*Build widened portions of I-70 bridge above Quebec Street

(https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20210403/28dbfc4f6a5e896a68cb9cf3d7420588.jpg)

I drove I-70 westbound yesterday from just east of Colorado Blvd. to I-25. From my view, it appears that the grade down to the new westbound lanes is complete but unpaved at Colorado, and it seems the upgrade to the Brighton Blvd. overpass is paved and nearly ready for traffic. The new north frontage road seemed complete as the project report says with many Denver street signs in place.

The former westbound Brighton Blvd. exit ramp is obliterated and has temporary jersey barriers in its former place.

I wish I could have taken pictures, but with the narrowed lanes and heavy afternoon traffic, it didn't seem wise. I'll have to get back down there to explore further at a less busy time.

Are there any other segments of Interstate 70 in Denver that should be tunneled as well?

Quote from: The Ghostbuster on April 05, 2021, 09:20:49 PM
Are there any other segments of Interstate 70 in Denver that should be tunneled as well?

In a perfect world it all would be with a park and trail on the cap the entire way across the city to the mountains.

In a perfect world, all inner-city freeways and parkways would have been built underground, and the only relocations would be for the tunnels' exit and entrance ramps and their terminals. Sadly, we do not live in a perfect world. Hopefully, the new Interstate 70 tunnel will be a vast improvement over the existing elevated viaduct.

I saw this aerial video showing Central I-70 who was filmed on April 30.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PNIODyfoXxA

The weekend of May 21-24, CDOT will have a full closure of I-70 to perform the "Mile High Shift" (https://www.thedenverchannel.com/news/local-news/changes-closures-coming-soon-to-i-70-in-denver-for-cdots-mile-high-shift-project).

QuoteAll current lanes of I-70 will move to the future westbound lanes of the lowered section as early as late this month. Both directions of traffic will stay in the westbound lanes for about 18 months, when the eastbound lanes of I-70 are expected to be completed, CDOT said.

I just read the article, and I just know it's going to be beautiful when the whole thing is completed.

I see some similarities to Klyde Warren Park in Dallas, where the Woodall Rodgers Freeway was reworked in a similar fashion, and wouldn't be surprised if the inspiration came from that.

Quote from: zzcarp on May 12, 2021, 08:28:52 AM
The weekend of May 21-24, CDOT will have a full closure of I-70 to perform the "Mile High Shift" (https://www.thedenverchannel.com/news/local-news/changes-closures-coming-soon-to-i-70-in-denver-for-cdots-mile-high-shift-project).

QuoteAll current lanes of I-70 will move to the future westbound lanes of the lowered section as early as late this month. Both directions of traffic will stay in the westbound lanes for about 18 months, when the eastbound lanes of I-70 are expected to be completed, CDOT said.

Today (May 15, about a week before the Mile High Shift) CDOT opened up a half-mile of the new lanes to people who wanted to check it out on foot.  The photo below was looking eastward.  For the next 18 months or so, the three lanes on this side of the jersey barriers will carry westbound I-70 traffic, and on the other side of the barriers are three more lanes for temporary eastbound I-70.  Eventually all the lanes you see here will be for westbound traffic.  The eastbound lanes have yet to be built, because first the old viaduct visible at right will have to come down:
vvv
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51180590487_5b16ccf5a5_z.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2kYDUrV)DSCN7572 (https://flic.kr/p/2kYDUrV) by ooss (https://www.flickr.com/photos/usends/), on Flickr

A bit further ahead, this photo shows the capped section of the freeway, which is 2 or 3 blocks long:
vvv
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51181481793_ff72571800_z.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2kYJtpg)Untitled (https://flic.kr/p/2kYJtpg) by ooss (https://www.flickr.com/photos/usends/), on Flickr

This photo shows the perspective of westbound traffic about to enter the capped segment:
vvv
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51182352995_09d9354d16_z.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2kYNWnZ)Untitled (https://flic.kr/p/2kYNWnZ) by ooss (https://www.flickr.com/photos/usends/), on Flickr

Thanks for those photos! It is so much easier to visualize now. The viaduct removal has been a long time in coming, and it's nice to see the underground segment proceeding. Now onto the second half of the project!

SM-G975U

About 20-some years ago, this stretch of I-70 east of Denver had a "tunnel" that went below some runway(s) at then Denver International Airport at Stapleton (now Central Park).  When the new DIA airport was opened, they took out the old tunnel as there was no need for the runways anymore.

Now a tunnel returns just a few miles west of the old one's location.

Just an interesting little factoid.

Yes, thanks for the photos! That's the most helpful view I've seen for scale. Interesting contrast to see the viaduct from the lowered section.

CDOT posted the boards they had at the event online here, "More than a Interstate." (https://www.codot.gov/projects/i70east/assets/more-than-a-interstate) There's also picture of the Stapleton runway tunnel thenetwork described in station #6 (https://www.codot.gov/projects/i70east/assets/more-than-a-interstate/station5_landmarksofcolorado.pdf#page=5).

Quote from: usends on May 15, 2021, 07:51:13 PM
Today (May 15, about a week before the Mile High Shift) CDOT opened up a half-mile of the new lanes to people who wanted to check it out on foot. 

Wow, that was really cool thing to do.  Kudos, CDOT.
It'd be awesome if that could be squeezed into the middle of other huge projects around the country.  I would have loved to have that kind of 'open house' in the middle of the big projects to rebuild the major freeway interchanges in Milwaukee when I lived there.

Quote from: triplemultiplex on May 17, 2021, 04:02:10 PM

Quote from: usends on May 15, 2021, 07:51:13 PM
Today (May 15, about a week before the Mile High Shift) CDOT opened up a half-mile of the new lanes to people who wanted to check it out on foot. 

Wow, that was really cool thing to do.  Kudos, CDOT.
It'd be awesome if that could be squeezed into the middle of other huge projects around the country.  I would have loved to have that kind of 'open house' in the middle of the big projects to rebuild the major freeway interchanges in Milwaukee when I lived there.

WisDOT had a similar official open house (the state's governor and DOT chair were there, too) on the Calumet and Outagamie County part of the WI 441 freeway here in Appleton, WI over the weekend before it opened in October of 1993.  This was after construction and law enforcement people all kind of looked the other way as locals began poking progressively more and more onto the under construction freeway in the spring through the summer of that year, during which time it became a seriously popular recreational outlet.  Any and all sorts of human powered activities, walking, bicycling, blading, running, dog walking, etc, were all very common.

Literally tens of thousands of locals swarmed all over it during that weekend, it was genuinely crowded, especially on the Sunday.  A semi-roadgeek friend of mine who was living in Chicagoland at the time also came up and spent an earlier weekend here to check it out.

It also served as the impetus for a strong local interest in off-road recreational facilities, pathways, parks and so forth that continues to this day.

Mike

Traffic was shifted onto the new segment today.

https://www.9news.com/article/traffic/central-70-closure/73-97006f71-cb78-4aaa-9a26-657b6ad8a9f3

Chris

CDOT had a Facebook Live  (https://www.facebook.com/coloradodot/videos/468958654213300)update with their communications person overlooking the tunnel. Of note, it will take 4-5 months to completely demolish the old viaduct.

The video is mirrored which gives a weird illusion since traffic appears to be driving on the left hand side.

I took a drive through the new depressed section last night. All pictures are I-70 heading eastbound in the new depressed westbound lanes and taken May 24 around 8pm.

This first picture is of the lane shift from the Brighton Boulevard exit to the new westbound lanes. It is an awkward shift and I saw many brakelights from people navigating it. The Denver Coliseum is the round building behind the white car. 

(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51201697356_c32f37b903_c.jpg)

Next is after the shift descending along the new section. To the right is the former Brighton Boulevard onramp up to the remnants of the viaduct. The tower of the Purina plant is behind that.

(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51201899453_fafb46a3b8_c.jpg) 

Another view of the viaduct remnants below the Purina plant. One can see what portions of the viaduct had to come down immediately for the shift versus those they left for later.

(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51202761960_afcf7232b8_c.jpg)

This is at the new railroad overpass over the westbound lanes. This gives a good view of how much the roadway was lowered here from the viaduct. The Purina plant is in the background.

(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51200982257_d80e914cbd_c.jpg)

Approaching the York Street overpass.

(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51200982187_bfa54701c5_c.jpg)

Approaching the Josephine Street overpass. The new tunnel is in the background.

(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51202761700_f194cf4a58_c.jpg)

This is the tunnel entrance at Columbine Street.

(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51200982012_e1368c2b91_c.jpg)

This is inside the tunnel between Columbine and Clayton Streets. While 6 lanes are squeezed in here, the lanes felt spacious and roomier than the old viaduct. Above this tunnel will be a new city park.

(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51201696896_50b0177499_c.jpg)

Having left the tunnel, next we have the Fillmore Street overpass. Behind that is the Steele Street/US 6-85 Vasquez Blvd overpass. The new westbound entrance ramp from Steele Street is on the left.

(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51201898988_8a10d39f9d_c.jpg) 

This is a railroad siding bridge in front of the Monroe Street overpass. In the background is the Colorado Boulevard (CO 2) overpass. The new westbound onramp is in the left background.

(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51202475924_823faf83e8_c.jpg)

This is a closer view of the Colorado Boulevard overpass and the end of the newly-aligned section. Of note on the right side is the temporary loop ramp installed for access to Colorado Boulevard. The new westbound onramp is atop the retaining wall on the left. The wall to the right is where the old I-70 lanes swung down from the viaduct.

(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51202761310_d523a14475_c.jpg)

Quote from: zzcarp on May 25, 2021, 03:27:56 AM
I took a drive through the new depressed section last night. All pictures are I-70 heading eastbound in the new depressed westbound lanes and taken May 24 around 8pm.

Thanks for the pics.  I was going to drive it yesterday but ran out of time.  I'll probably drive it this weekend at some point. 

Chris

I'm already liking what I'm seeing! I'll definitely check it out the next time I see my brother in Denver.

Quote from: usends on May 15, 2021, 07:51:13 PM

(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51180590487_5b16ccf5a5_z.jpg)

Just out of idle curiosity, what do you think is under that mat?

Quote from: CtrlAltDel on May 25, 2021, 04:26:31 PM
Just out of idle curiosity, what do you think is under that mat?

CDOT's Facebook page has several pictures (https://www.facebook.com/central70project/photos/pcb.2996160704036908/2996158677370444/) of the viaduct demolition which is proceeding relatively quickly.

Quote from: zzcarp on July 27, 2021, 07:40:28 PM
CDOT's Facebook page has several pictures (https://www.facebook.com/central70project/photos/pcb.2996160704036908/2996158677370444/) of the viaduct demolition which is proceeding relatively quickly.

When I was in Denver earlier this month, I had forgotten about this project until driving through the construction zone. It seemed like they were making great progress.

A nearly 500 million dollar loan has been announced for this project:

https://www.transportation.gov/briefing-room/us-department-transportation-announces-46496-million-new-transportation

I see in GSV the new westbound freeway is open for both east and west I-70 as it was filmed in July 2021. It shows also the old viaduct being dismantled, so I assume the new EB lanes will be put in its place then.
https://www.codot.gov/projects/i70east

I see the CDOT website has interesting information about this Central 70 Project.

Quote from: roadman65 on November 17, 2021, 12:04:34 AM
I see in GSV the new westbound freeway is open for both east and west I-70 as it was filmed in July 2021. It shows also the old viaduct being dismantled, so I assume the new EB lanes will be put in its place then.
https://www.codot.gov/projects/i70east

I see the CDOT website has interesting information about this Central 70 Project.

That's great that it's now shown in streetview! Yes, the new roadway opened back in May (some of my pictures from then are here) (https://www.aaroads.com/forum/index.php?topic=6609.msg2618561#msg261856).

They've completed the viaduct demolition and are working to excavate the eastbound lanes. I'll try to get some pictures the next time I'm in the area in daylight.

Through a series of unfortunate events, I wound up flying to DIA yesterday.  Unfortunately my Denver co-worker took E-470 to our Warehouse in Westminster.  Wouldve been nice to see as I didn't have to drive.

Yesterday afternoon, I had the opportunity to be in the neighborhood of the project at sundown. It was difficult to access the area of E 45th Avenue and Garfield Boulevard. With the road closures around, I had to access the site from a temporary roadway at the Colorado Boulevard and I-70 offramp. On the way back, I took some sundown pictures heading west on E 46th North Avenue from Colorado Boulevard to past York Street.

(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51690769367_4eca4742c7_c.jpg)
Here you see the new Cook Street overpass. You can see the depressed I-70 lanes and the nearly completed grading for the future eastbound lanes.

(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51691567276_e873f2ff8e_c.jpg)
Westbound approaching the Steele Street/Vasquez Boulevard intersection. Notice under the left turn signals and behind the white truck is the Purina plant, a landmark from which the I-70 viaduct used to be just feet away.

(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51691838868_d96e0f4657_c.jpg)
At the Vasquez Blvd./"To Steele Street" intersection. US 6-85, which independently goes north from here on Vasquez and joins I-70 straight ahead, are conspicuously absent from signage at the intersection. I didn't even see a reassurance shield when I had headed north to 48th Avenue during the quest for my job site.

(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51691838803_a43e980324_c.jpg)
A stormwater detention basin at the northeast corner of 46th North and Vasquez (which runs on the left side of the photo).

(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51691838778_df262818bd_c.jpg)
Now at Clayton Street which is also the beginning of the covered section of I-70. The Purina plant grows closer.

(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51691567931_98d35fbac6_c.jpg)
Just past Clayton, a look into the covered section of I-70. One day this will have ballfields and landscaping. Today there's a job trailer and a bunch of picnic tables.

(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51692456085_927912a2fa_c.jpg)
Still on the covered section, there is a small crane used to load/unload some long bundles of heavy rebar.

(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51692248894_dc1edc9ee3_c.jpg)
This is looking southwesterly at Columbine Street. This is the end of the covered section. Interesting that Kiewit, the General Contractor, has a sign for the "Cover Top Laydown Yard 4621 Columbine Street". In this day of GPS, they probably need a street address for all the trucks coming in and out.

(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51692497105_18e92b3843_c.jpg)
Looking west at Columbine Street. The Purina plant is close enough to see the logo on the top. There are three signalized intersections in quick succession: Columbine Street and the one-way pairs of Josephine Street and York Street.

(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51690769647_6a5d2f2494_c.jpg)
Approaching York Street.

(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51692455770_3ed7284976_c.jpg)
Looking south on York Street, which is one-way southbound. With all the concrete work, it looks like there's a wide sidewalk and a separated bike lane planned on the left. The bridge and the Purina plant are on the right.

(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51691567456_bd8c73d13e_c.jpg)
Crossing the York Street intersection as we begin the ramp under the railroad bridge. The BGS in the background is for the upcoming I-70 exit at Brighton Boulevard. We have our last view of the Purina plant silos at the far left with a concrete pumper truck setup in the background just to its right.

(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51691567391_d388738900_c.jpg)
Under and after the railroad underpass, E. 46th North Avenue is separated from the I-70 mainline by a Jersey barrier. In the background is the Brighton Boulevard exit from I-70 which merges into E. 46th North essentially right as it exits.

This is going to be a really nice project once completed I only wish that they would've included more lanes.

Quote from: Plutonic Panda on November 19, 2021, 10:33:56 PM
This is going to be a really nice project once completed I only wish that they would've included more lanes.

The people in this area were already pissed about how wide it was, and how many houses/businesses needed to be displaced. We're pretty fortunate that it got as wide as it did.

I drove eastbound through the project area Monday evening. While I couldn't take pictures since it was dark, I will note that the EB Steele Street exit has reopened and the EB exit to Colorado Boulevard is basically in its final configuration. It seems they've closed the temporary EB loop ramp from I-70 to Colorado but have left the temporary traffic signal there, presumably to still allow access to the neighborhood southwest of I-70 and Colorado. I expect that temporary access and traffic light to be abandoned in the first couple weeks after the New Year.

Bumping this thread with some new photos taken yesterday, 4/11, around 7:15 pm. All are EB I-70 between Brighton Boulevard and Colorado Boulevard.

(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/52000547404_b69cf3a72d_z.jpg)

This is looking east at the Purina Plant. Much of the excavation for the future eastbound lanes is ready. They're putting the finishing touches on the railroad bridge in front of the plant.

(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/52000826010_ae705d3df8_z.jpg)

This is eastbound looking at York Street. The girders for the bridge over the future Eastbound lanes are set, and there's no deck poured yet.

(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/52000289256_797ba723e6_z.jpg)

Now east of the tunnel, this is the temporary ramp from EB I-70 to US 6-85/Steele Street. Per a notice on the VMS, this ramp will close for 3 months beginning April 15.

(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/52000352893_beafd624d7_z.jpg)

This is near Cook Street where traffic swerves back onto the final eastbound alignment. Notice the "Exit 276B" sign in the left portion of the median, making it appear that the whole freeway is exiting.

(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/52000352738_daa3972072_z.jpg)

Now on its final EB alignment, this is the actual I-70 eastbound exit to CO-2/Colorado Boulevard. There's no exit ramp signage at the gore point or on a BGS right now.

Quote from: zzcarp on April 12, 2022, 03:29:12 PM
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/52000352738_daa3972072_z.jpg)

Now on its final EB alignment, this is the actual I-70 eastbound exit to CO-2/Colorado Boulevard. There's no exit ramp signage at the gore point or on a BGS right now.

Went to the natural history museum (sorry, Denver Museum of Nature and Science) a couple weeks ago and almost missed that ramp due to the lack of signage.

According to this Friday Facebook post (https://www.facebook.com/photo?fbid=370558815107221&set=a.218913790271725), the westbound I-70 express lanes from Chambers Road to Colorado Boulevard could open as soon as June 3 for testing. Presumably, they'll be free for a while before the tolls are imposed.

Doing the last traffic shift on Monday. Should be done by this fall. https://www.denverpost.com/2022/07/13/central-70-project-denver-eastbound-traffic-shift/

Quote from: JayhawkCO on July 15, 2022, 11:42:45 AM
Doing the last traffic shift on Monday. Should be done by this fall. https://www.denverpost.com/2022/07/13/central-70-project-denver-eastbound-traffic-shift/

Could you paste the article....have to have a subscription to see it.

Quote from: ski-man on July 16, 2022, 08:56:31 PM

Quote from: JayhawkCO on July 15, 2022, 11:42:45 AM
Doing the last traffic shift on Monday. Should be done by this fall. https://www.denverpost.com/2022/07/13/central-70-project-denver-eastbound-traffic-shift/

Could you paste the article....have to have a subscription to see it.

QuoteComing Monday: Major I-70 traffic shift sets stage for end of 4-year-old Denver project
One-way weekend highway closure will allow crews to move eastbound traffic into final position

Drivers traveling east on Interstate 70 through Denver will get more room to spread out early next week when an expansion project hits a major milestone – marking the beginning of the end for the four-year-old undertaking.

By early Monday morning, a traffic shift will move eastbound traffic between Brighton and Colorado boulevards, the gnarliest work zone of the $1.3 billion Central 70 Project, into its final placement on the south half of the highway. To the north, the westbound side of the highway still will have a couple more months of finishing work to go. For more than a year, that side has hosted both directions of traffic, squeezed into a temporary configuration that will need to be undone.

But finally, the end of the project is in sight: Its contractors are aiming to complete major construction on the entire 10-mile project this fall.

"I know the community and the traveling public is ready for the project to be over, and we're excited to deliver a quality project,"  said Bob Hays, the Colorado Department of Transportation's Central 70 project director, during a media tour Wednesday morning on the new eastbound lanes' freshly set asphalt.

To prepare for the eastbound traffic shift, crews will close all eastbound lanes between Washington Street and Interstate 270 through the coming weekend, starting at 10 p.m. Friday. Traffic will be rerouted on a detour that uses Interstate 76 to I-270. Westbound I-70 won't be affected.

By 5 a.m. Monday, fresh pavement will welcome the three regular eastbound lanes to the south side of the highway.

The change comes with a request by project officials for drivers to watch their speeds, now that the road will be smoother and roomier. The only thing left in coming months, CDOT says, will be the gradual opening and testing of an express lane that's already in use, without tolling, east of Colorado Boulevard.

Project won't fix congestion but may smooth flow
One word of caution: Don't expect the project to cure I-70 of congestion, even once it's complete.

The highway carries about 200,000 vehicles a day. Given the project's limited goals – to bring I-70 up to federal highway standards and add an express lane in each direction – capacity will still be tight.

"What I'll say is the safety features are going to help improve the flow of traffic,"  Hays said. "So we're going to have the full-width shoulders. We're going to have standard (acceleration and deceleration) lanes for all of the ramps. ... Come Monday, we will have the full length of deceleration lane needed in order to get off (I-70) at Steele and get off at Colorado."

On the westbound side, crews will spend the next two months removing the median barrier that separated the temporary eastbound lanes and reconfiguring safety equipment. They also will carry out final paving, requiring some overnight lane closures, along with restriping to accommodate the final westbound lanes, including a new express lane.

The target to finish all that up is mid-September.

Since breaking ground in August 2018, the Central 70 project has widened I-70 between Interstate 25 and Chambers Road in Aurora, reconstructing portions of it. Most work east of Colorado has been done for a while.

But the most complex construction has occurred in the 1.8-mile stretch where a raised highway span used to ferry traffic between Brighton and Colorado, northeast of downtown. Crews built a new, recessed highway north of that viaduct and are working on a 4-acre cover park above it next to Swansea Elementary School, to help knit the Elyria-Swansea neighborhood together.

Construction crews with the contracting team, Kiewit-Meridiam Partners, approached the work in two phases. When the north side of the new highway section was complete in May 2021, project managers diverted all traffic into it to share what would be the eventual westbound lanes.

Then crews demolished the 57-year-old viaduct structure last summer, making room to dig out the rest of the new section – the side that will open to eastbound traffic on Monday.

Recent work made quick progress
Hays stood Wednesday inside the 1,000-foot tunnel beneath the park cover's structure. He noted features of that lengthy tunnel, including a variable lighting system that attempts to match the brightness outside the tunnel on sunny days, making the transition easier for drivers. A ventilation system includes nine jet fans at the entrance that can quickly clear smoggy air or smoke in the event of a tunnel fire.

Construction moved more quickly during the second phase of tunnel construction.

"The build-out of this eastern bore, the southern half of the cover, has gone so extremely well because we learned all the lessons on the northern bore,"  Hays said. "This is just – you know, we call it "˜rinse and repeat.' "

Despite early setbacks and delays, the project largely has gone smoothly. The contractors by December are aiming to reach the contractual "substantial completion"  mark, which leaves just minor completion work for early next year. If they hit that mark, they'll earn a $2.5 million incentive under a settlement with CDOT that resolved project cost disputes.

Still, that would be about nine months behind the original schedule's March target.

Aside from finishing up the westbound lanes, plenty of work remains on the cover park, where structures are starting to take shape. Crews have about four months to build out and landscape its many elements, including a central plaza, a multi-purpose playing field and an events lawn with a stage. They're aiming for a mid-November opening for the new Denver public park.

Down on the highway, Hays says the express lanes – which extend east to Aurora – likely will begin charging tolls early next year.

Quote from: zzcarp on July 16, 2022, 10:22:01 PM

Quote from: ski-man on July 16, 2022, 08:56:31 PM

Quote from: JayhawkCO on July 15, 2022, 11:42:45 AM
Doing the last traffic shift on Monday. Should be done by this fall. https://www.denverpost.com/2022/07/13/central-70-project-denver-eastbound-traffic-shift/

Could you paste the article....have to have a subscription to see it.

QuoteComing Monday: Major I-70 traffic shift sets stage for end of 4-year-old Denver project
One-way weekend highway closure will allow crews to move eastbound traffic into final position

Drivers traveling east on Interstate 70 through Denver will get more room to spread out early next week when an expansion project hits a major milestone – marking the beginning of the end for the four-year-old undertaking.

By early Monday morning, a traffic shift will move eastbound traffic between Brighton and Colorado boulevards, the gnarliest work zone of the $1.3 billion Central 70 Project, into its final placement on the south half of the highway. To the north, the westbound side of the highway still will have a couple more months of finishing work to go. For more than a year, that side has hosted both directions of traffic, squeezed into a temporary configuration that will need to be undone.

But finally, the end of the project is in sight: Its contractors are aiming to complete major construction on the entire 10-mile project this fall.

"I know the community and the traveling public is ready for the project to be over, and we're excited to deliver a quality project,"  said Bob Hays, the Colorado Department of Transportation's Central 70 project director, during a media tour Wednesday morning on the new eastbound lanes' freshly set asphalt.

To prepare for the eastbound traffic shift, crews will close all eastbound lanes between Washington Street and Interstate 270 through the coming weekend, starting at 10 p.m. Friday. Traffic will be rerouted on a detour that uses Interstate 76 to I-270. Westbound I-70 won't be affected.

By 5 a.m. Monday, fresh pavement will welcome the three regular eastbound lanes to the south side of the highway.

The change comes with a request by project officials for drivers to watch their speeds, now that the road will be smoother and roomier. The only thing left in coming months, CDOT says, will be the gradual opening and testing of an express lane that's already in use, without tolling, east of Colorado Boulevard.

Project won't fix congestion but may smooth flow
One word of caution: Don't expect the project to cure I-70 of congestion, even once it's complete.

The highway carries about 200,000 vehicles a day. Given the project's limited goals – to bring I-70 up to federal highway standards and add an express lane in each direction – capacity will still be tight.

"What I'll say is the safety features are going to help improve the flow of traffic,"  Hays said. "So we're going to have the full-width shoulders. We're going to have standard (acceleration and deceleration) lanes for all of the ramps. ... Come Monday, we will have the full length of deceleration lane needed in order to get off (I-70) at Steele and get off at Colorado."

On the westbound side, crews will spend the next two months removing the median barrier that separated the temporary eastbound lanes and reconfiguring safety equipment. They also will carry out final paving, requiring some overnight lane closures, along with restriping to accommodate the final westbound lanes, including a new express lane.

The target to finish all that up is mid-September.

Since breaking ground in August 2018, the Central 70 project has widened I-70 between Interstate 25 and Chambers Road in Aurora, reconstructing portions of it. Most work east of Colorado has been done for a while.

But the most complex construction has occurred in the 1.8-mile stretch where a raised highway span used to ferry traffic between Brighton and Colorado, northeast of downtown. Crews built a new, recessed highway north of that viaduct and are working on a 4-acre cover park above it next to Swansea Elementary School, to help knit the Elyria-Swansea neighborhood together.

Construction crews with the contracting team, Kiewit-Meridiam Partners, approached the work in two phases. When the north side of the new highway section was complete in May 2021, project managers diverted all traffic into it to share what would be the eventual westbound lanes.

Then crews demolished the 57-year-old viaduct structure last summer, making room to dig out the rest of the new section – the side that will open to eastbound traffic on Monday.

Recent work made quick progress
Hays stood Wednesday inside the 1,000-foot tunnel beneath the park cover's structure. He noted features of that lengthy tunnel, including a variable lighting system that attempts to match the brightness outside the tunnel on sunny days, making the transition easier for drivers. A ventilation system includes nine jet fans at the entrance that can quickly clear smoggy air or smoke in the event of a tunnel fire.

Construction moved more quickly during the second phase of tunnel construction.

"The build-out of this eastern bore, the southern half of the cover, has gone so extremely well because we learned all the lessons on the northern bore,"  Hays said. "This is just – you know, we call it "˜rinse and repeat.' "

Despite early setbacks and delays, the project largely has gone smoothly. The contractors by December are aiming to reach the contractual "substantial completion"  mark, which leaves just minor completion work for early next year. If they hit that mark, they'll earn a $2.5 million incentive under a settlement with CDOT that resolved project cost disputes.

Still, that would be about nine months behind the original schedule's March target.

Aside from finishing up the westbound lanes, plenty of work remains on the cover park, where structures are starting to take shape. Crews have about four months to build out and landscape its many elements, including a central plaza, a multi-purpose playing field and an events lawn with a stage. They're aiming for a mid-November opening for the new Denver public park.

Down on the highway, Hays says the express lanes – which extend east to Aurora – likely will begin charging tolls early next year.

Thanks a bunch!!!! I drive thru this area often to see my daughters who live in Denver.

Apparently this section has a flood and CDOT is "investigating"  why it happened. I guess I'm not too surprised an intense rainstorm could overwhelm drainage systems but I don't know the extent of it: https://denverite.com/2022/08/08/cdot-says-itll-get-to-the-bottom-of-why-i-70-flooded-stranding-motorists/

Quote from: Plutonic Panda on August 08, 2022, 12:57:46 PM
Apparently this section has a flood and CDOT is "investigating"  why it happened. I guess I'm not too surprised an intense rainstorm could overwhelm drainage systems but I don't know the extent of it: https://denverite.com/2022/08/08/cdot-says-itll-get-to-the-bottom-of-why-i-70-flooded-stranding-motorists/

I was going to post something on this today. Sounds like it's a temporary issue. The fun thing is that I'm 12 miles away as the crow flies and didn't get a single drop of rain.

I drove through I-70 on the new EB lanes and took pictures about 5:40 pm to eventually post here on the way to a concert at the Bluebird. Luckily, I was in a pizza place next to the Bluebird on Colfax when the deluge happened. I left for home after the concert around 11 and passed back on WB I-70 through the construction zone and tunnel and there was no evidence that the roadway had flooded or was closed at all. Imagine my surprise when I got home and checked social media with the pictures of the flooding.

I like that this thread title still has "may" in the title even though it's done. ;)

The Denver Post is reporting that 1.76 inches of rain fell in 26 minutes. That's a hammering.

Quote from: triplemultiplex on August 08, 2022, 03:45:27 PM
I like that this thread title still has "may" in the title even though it's done. ;)

Yeah, but we all slip up from time to time.  If it were ten years ago and I slipped a few trolls would be on me like flies to maple syrup.

Quote from: JayhawkCO on August 09, 2022, 10:21:47 AM
The Denver Post is reporting that 1.76 inches of rain fell in 26 minutes. That's a hammering.

1.76 inches in 26 minutes is a rate of 4.06 inches per hour. That puts it just slightly more than a 100-year storm for that duration in Denver.

The major cause seems to be the pumps that were supposed to automatically turn on didn't (https://denverite.com/2022/08/08/i-70-flood-pumps-didnt-turn-on-automatically-as-intended-contractor-says/).

QuoteA faulty pump system could be responsible for flooding on Interstate 70 in north Denver late Sunday, which stranded hundreds of motorists for more than an hour.

The pumps that typically keep that lowered section of I-70 clear of water did not turn on automatically when they should have, said a spokesman for the contractor building the nearly complete $1.2 billion Central 70 project.

"Once this was determined Kiewit turned the pumps on manually,"  Kiewit Public Information Manager Matt Sanman wrote in a statement. "After the pumps turned on, the area was drained in a short period of time indicating that the pumps, once manually started, were working as intended and the error was corrected."  

Ooops looks like the contractor is getting fined for this one: https://www.9news.com/article/news/local/next/contractor-fined-i-70-flood/73-a0581a0e-efec-4667-b65a-2839bcf68eb1

That's not an oops. That's a major F*** up. Hope that mishap was worth it for the sleeping bozos on the sub surfacing project of I-70. They'll never get another CDOT contract with mistakes like that. That's what happens when you think you have it all worked out, then this lazy sham of a flood happens to bork all of that progress they made. I say "lazy sham" because of emphasizing on their laziness, not on the entire project itself, mainly the storm drainage system and the safety pumps. If I-90 was getting sub surfaced and Kiewit was given the go by MDT and they mess up like this, they would get their asses chewed by the MDT director.

This project is getting close to completion with substantial completion including opening of the park cap by November.

I highly doubt anyone will miss the old elevated viaduct. Even a highway lover like me should probably bid it a "good riddance".

Today, I changed the thread title to " I-70 Central Project in Northeast Denver" since the below grade section was built and nearly compete.  Thanks for the suggestions to make this change.

from the AASHTO Journal:
https://aashtojournal.org/2022/12/16/colorado-officially-opens-new-highway-cover-park/

Quote
Colorado Officially Opens New "˜Highway Cover' Park
editor@aashto.org December 16, 2022

Governor Jared Polis (D) and the Colorado Department of Transportation recently celebrated the completion of a four-acre "highway cover"  community park located over a newly lowered section of I-70; part of the state's $1.2 billion Central 70 Project.

The Central 70 Project encompasses an area that is home to 1,200 businesses, provides the regional connection to Denver International Airport, and carries upwards of 200,000 vehicles each day.

Since its August 2018 groundbreaking, the Central 70 Project has reconstructed 10-miles of I-70, added one new Express Lane in each direction, removed an aging 57-year-old viaduct, lowered the interstate, and built the aforementioned four-acre park for the surrounding community.

"We are making Colorado roads safer, reducing traffic, and making sure that Coloradans and visitors can get where they are going quickly and easily, including to visit the many thriving businesses along this stretch of road,"  noted Gov. Polis in a statement.

"The Federal Highway Administration congratulates our partners in Colorado for this beautiful cover park,"  noted Acting FHWA Administrator Stephanie Pollack.

"The project is a prime example of how transportation projects can reconnect communities rather than just going through them, bringing people-focused infrastructure improvements that will last for generations to come,"  she said.

Colorado DOT began planning a revamp of the Central 70 corridor in 2003 and completed its environmental study 15 years later after significant changes to both the project and stakeholder engagement processes resulting from neighborhood concerns about the environmental and health impacts of the project.

As a result, the agency made over $30 million worth of specific commitments to communities affected by the project, in addition to changing the design to one that lowers the highway and connects the neighborhood via both the cover park and a network of at-grade bridges with pedestrian access.

Those commitments included:

• Constructing 38,700 linear square feet of Americans with Disabilities Act-compliant sidewalks making it possible to safely walk the full length of the Central 70 Project area;
• Improving community connectivity by adding new traffic signals and lights, crosswalks and pedestrian crossing signals, and extending 46th North and South avenues;
• Providing a $2 million grant to the local affordable housing collaborative to support affordable housing construction;
• Providing $18.5 million worth of improvements to Swansea Elementary School that included two new early childhood education classrooms, a new playground, a new main entrance and parking lot and new heating and air conditioning;
• Planting 100 trees and additional landscaping along 46th North Avenue and the new cover park;
• Providing interior storm windows and air conditioning units, plus financial assistance for utility costs, to over 260 homes to help mitigate dust and noise during construction.
• Ensuring job opportunities for residents through a 20-percent geographic-based hiring requirement from local communities while also requiring on-the-job training to provide opportunities for workers to advance to high-skill positions during the construction period.

"This project is an example of how hard conversations can be productive and help us be better neighbors,"  said Colorado DOT Executive Director Shoshana Lew.

"The advocacy of community members throughout this project helped Colorado DOT learn to take community feedback seriously and develop state-of-the-art processes for mitigating the impacts of large projects,"  she added. "We thank them for their input and hope they see its results in the finished product."

I was skimming the article when I came across this:

Quote
...the agency made over $30 million worth of specific commitments to communities affected by the project
Providing $18.5 million worth of improvements to Swansea Elementary School that included two new early childhood education classrooms, a new playground, a new main entrance and parking lot and new heating and air conditioning;

Since when is it CDOT's job to spend funds to improve a school?  New classrooms and a playground? 

Quote from: rte66man on December 19, 2022, 09:19:00 AM
Since when is it CDOT's job to spend funds to improve a school?  New classrooms and a playground? 

This was a bribe, pure and simple, to attempt to appease the community activists to get the replacement approved. Their Denver city councilor, Candi CdeBaca (who calls herself a communist), lobbied hard to get I-70 removed and rerouted due to the normal reasons of community impact/anti-highway sentiment: emissions, community connectivity, etc. And it is true that this Elyria/Swansea area is the most industrial area left in Denver proper, so the actual residents have a lower quality of life than the majority of the gentrified city does-for example the Purina plant on the other side of the tracks does tend to smell like dog food. The school improvements and the park cover were built mainly to improve the community, and it was probably cheaper to add those improvements than to have the EIS sit in limbo due to lawsuits while the old viaduct was crumbling.

Quote from: rte66manSince when is it CDOT's job to spend funds to improve a school?  New classrooms and a playground?

I think I was asking similar questions when Oklahoma's state government raised gasoline taxes 3¢ per gallon (the first gas tax hike in many years) to fund pay raises for public school teachers. Our state's teachers should be paid better, more competitive wages. But it shouldn't be coming out of highway funding.

I've seen views of the new freeway on Google Maps Street View, and there are "work zone speed limit 55" signs installed.  Once completed, are the speed limits going to be raised to 60 or 65?

Quote from: MattHanson939 on February 08, 2023, 01:41:02 AM
I've seen views of the new freeway on Google Maps Street View, and there are "work zone speed limit 55" signs installed.  Once completed, are the speed limits going to be raised to 60 or 65?

I-70's speed limit was 55 prior to construction from Sheridan Blvd to Pena Blvd. and will remain so at the time of completion.

It's not out of the realm of possibility to raise the limit to 60 or 65 in the future after a traffic study, etc. After the US 36 freeway reconstruction in the mid 2010s, they raised the limit between Federal Blvd and I-25 to 65 to match the remainder of the road.

Traffic tends to already go 65 through the corridor when it is not congested. That said, I'd be pleasantly surprised if they upped the limit and not optimistic.

Quote from: zzcarp on February 08, 2023, 09:24:17 AM

Quote from: MattHanson939 on February 08, 2023, 01:41:02 AM
I've seen views of the new freeway on Google Maps Street View, and there are "work zone speed limit 55" signs installed.  Once completed, are the speed limits going to be raised to 60 or 65?

I-70's speed limit was 55 prior to construction from Sheridan Blvd to Pena Blvd. and will remain so at the time of completion.

It's not out of the realm of possibility to raise the limit to 60 or 65 in the future after a traffic study, etc. After the US 36 freeway reconstruction in the mid 2010s, they raised the limit between Federal Blvd and I-25 to 65 to match the remainder of the road.

Traffic tends to already go 65 through the corridor when it is not congested. That said, I'd be pleasantly surprised if they upped the limit and not optimistic.

If they do raise to 65, I think it would only be the section from the Mousetrap east. The Federal/Sheridan portion of the road has those "parkway" curves still.

I came across this rant about Interstate 70 in Colorado: https://www.msn.com/en-us/travel/article/letter-to-the-editor-interstate-70-is-a-disgrace-to-the-state-of-colorado/ar-AA17xa1h?ocid=msedgntp&cvid=2d57973307c0430690ab317b5c73b1fd. That's gratitude for you!

I'm in complete agreement with that take. I was worried it was gonna be some environmentalist going on a rant that the road is destroying the environment or whatever.

Yes, the tolls need to be removed. Colorado lawmakers should implement a law that bans tolling in the state. Or at the least ban CDOT from installing toll lanes. I wouldn't have much of an issue with them if they did it in more appropriate situations. The rural interstates having 2 lanes each way with an added toll lane is just ridiculous. Colorado is a VERY wealthy state.

I-70 should be 4 lanes each way to Silverthorne and then 3 lanes each way all the way to Grand Junction. HSR needs to be built with MagLev tech used. That would completely solve traffic issues for the next 100 years. But I can already guess some the excuses that will be made at why that can not be.

America sucks at building high speed rail. That's the first excuse. And it's a legit excuse too. We can't build a true high speed rail line (a train line with top speeds of 300kph/186mph or more) without the effort just breaking the bank. The cost overrun problem is there even on flat land. The challenges just get even more ridiculous when uneven terrain is involved, like the rolling hills and valleys at the edge of the Front Range of the Colorado Rockies. Building a HSR line thru the Rockies? Holy cow.

There is no justification to build a high speed rail line from Denver to Grand Junction. The cost of the rail line would be absurdly extreme. A mag-lev based rail line would be much worse in terms of cost. What kind of ridership numbers could anyone expect for such a rail line? I'm scared to imagine what the train ticket prices would be.

I do agree about the toll lanes on the "expanded" portions of I-70 and I-25. I have no problem with tolled Lexus Lanes on a superhighway with good capacity on the free lanes. The LBJ Freeway in Dallas is a good example of express lanes done right. Part of I-820 in Fort Worth is an example of it done wrong. 2 free lanes in each direction and 2 toll lanes in each direction? That's stupid. The stuff they're doing in Colorado is even more stupid.

IMHO, a superhighway with tolled express lanes should have at least 3 free lanes in each direction, if not 4 or 5 lanes. I'm not a big fan of reversible express lanes. But I'll take those as a trade-off for allowing more free lanes to be built. Of course, I really don't like 11 foot wide skinny lanes. I think those are a cheat and they're dangerous.

Regarding HSR, I'd imagine with the right alignment and amenities like park n ride stations it'd rival the NEC as one of the most used lines in the country. You are right about the expense and our complete incompetence when it comes to building them. My proposal for maglev would only extend into the mountains where most of the traffic is going, not to Grand Junction. The HSR pointing west would be to connect with a national HSR system hitting all cities and ridership goes up as more connections are added. Again that's the least concern and I'm not worried if that never gets built. I'm more concerned about that areas all the commuters are to in the resort cities that are creating the real traffic issue.

Bring in Japan to help build the thing. The expense is worth it. We can't only keep adding new car lanes and I don't think even a 10 lane expansion would be sufficient. I've only been semi regularly using this road for the last 3 years and it's unbelievable how bad it is. They're going to spend all this money on projects like the Floyd Hill expansion and accomplish absolutely nothing because one more lane way won't cut it and a toll lane won't do anything for anyone that isn't affluent. It'll only boost the arguments the anti car nuts make about how widening freeways does nothing.

Even IF the US could successfully build out a proper true high speed rail network the passengers on those trains would primarily be people who take short to medium distance air flights. High speed rail is just not a substitute for most of the kind of trips people take in their motor vehicles.

In a metro like Denver, the vast majority of vehicles on the freeways are owned by people who live in the metro or live in that general region. High speed rail serves a completely different purpose than mass transit rail (like NYC's subway network) and regional rail service (like the Long Island Railroad, Metro North, New Jersey Transit). Amtrak's Metroliner and Acela runs significantly longer distances between train stations. That longer distance between stations is mandatory for a train to achieve true high speed rail speeds.

It takes considerable time/distance for a train like the TGV in France to hit 300kph speeds and just as much time/distance to slow down before the next stop. It would be ridiculous for anyone to suggest a local subway or light rail line inside a big city could reach true high speeds. The laws of physics say NO to that.

Japan's Shinkansen network had to pass through a LOT of tunnels and along a LOT of elevated viaducts. Much of the original high speed network was built around 50 or so years ago when bridges and tunnels cost a lot less to build. That HSR "network" consists of one primary line running from Kagoshima in the South up to Hakodate a short distance onto the North island of Hokkaido. And then there are three shorter spur routes. Ridership is high on those trains because the Shinkansen's main route goes through a lot of densely populated areas. Japan has 145,000 square miles of land, home to 125 million people. Montana covers 147,000 square miles. Most of Japan's population is concentrated along its Southeast-facing coast. The Shinkansen system is also successful because much of Japan is covered by slower speed passenger rail service and local mass transit trains. In the US the region around NYC is the only place that offers somewhat comparable passenger rail coverage to that in Japan.

Despite all that, Japan has lots of highways, even freeways and toll roads.

Japan is a pretty mountainous country. But its mountains aren't as big as the Rockies. The Shinkansen goes through a lot of modest sized mountains and hillsides, but much of the main line's length doesn't go far from the coast. There aren't as many big elevation changes like you would see crossing Colorado.

If I wanted to sight-see the Rockies via a train I wouldn't want to do it via a high speed rail line. A bunch of the ride going thru the Rockies would be inside long tunnels. If someone wants to look at mountain vistas from a train I'd advise them to check out the Pikes Peak Cog Railway.

Denver would have to radically expand its local mass transit rail system to get more vehicles off the highways. And even then they're probably going to have to keep adding more lanes to its super highways.

Quote from: Bobby5280 on February 16, 2023, 12:39:35 AM
Denver would have to radically expand its local mass transit rail system to get more vehicles off the highways. And even then they're probably going to have to keep adding more lanes to its super highways.

The Denver metro already spends twice as much as CDOT's budget each year on RTD which runs the light rail/commuter rail system (depending on which line to which you refer). They tried giving away RTD rides for free last August. While ridership increased, it's still not nearly to pre-COVID levels and RTD is cutting more and more lines. We're not dense enough with city centers to support the lines we have now.

There is a ski train from Union Station in Denver to Winter Park, but it only runs January to March (I don't know ridership figures). To run a rail line, monorail, maglev, or any other scheme from Denver up to the I-70 mountain ski resorts, that's a $30 billion investment (basically one year of the entire state budget) to create a train system that would be basically empty except for weekends. Such a train wouldn't even be able to serve the heavy hiking interests - they wouldn't run early enough to climb a summer 14er (you need to start well before dawn so you can be down the mountain below treeline before noon due to lightning), nor would it get you even close to nearly any of the trailheads. A busline many allow more flexibility, but I-70 needs to be expanded to make that really work.

Plus, any mass transit option doesn't allow you to bring your dog along due to Federal regulations, so it's a non-starter for me for hiking. Colorado's one of the most dog-friendly states I know, and I suggest many other hikers would forgo the transit option in order to bring their Fido along.

I didn't know there was a federal regulation banning dogs on mass transit trains. I'm sure they would have to allow exceptions; when I lived in NYC I remember seeing blind people with companion dogs riding the subway. Then there's all the various people with support animals.

It would take one hell of an engineering achievement to create a true high speed rail line that cut thru the Rockies from Denver to the Grand Junction area. I'm not sure if such a thing would even be possible. I know it would not be financially feasible.

There is only one slow speed rail line that manages to cross all of Colorado East-and-West. That's the line entering the Rockies to the West of Pueblo, using the path cut by the Arkansas River.

Denver has a "thru" rail line that has to cut a very crooked path thru the Front Range. The line passes through at least a dozen tunnels, including the 6 mile long Moffat Tunnel, whose West Portal is in Winter Park. The line goes up to Granby. Then it follows alongside the Colorado River down to Dotsero. There it merges with the rail line coming up from Pueblo. Silverthorne is cut off from any rail service at all due to all the big mountains surrounding it.

Quote from: Bobby5280 on February 16, 2023, 09:07:08 PM
I didn't know there was a federal regulation banning dogs on mass transit trains. I'm sure they would have to allow exceptions; when I lived in NYC I remember seeing blind people with companion dogs riding the subway. Then there's all the various people with support animals

Yes, truly certified service animals are exempted. I discovered this when I was researching hiking the Chicago Basin in the San Juans which requires a trip on the Durango & Silverton Narrow Gauge (https://www.durangotrain.com/wilderness-access/):

QuoteUnited States Department of Agriculture regulations prohibit the D&SNGRR from transporting live animals. Except for service animals accompanying their master/trainer, we will not carry any live animals in any cars on our train.

Perhaps they're loosening some of the regulations. For example, I was in Steamboat Springs last year and their buses only allowed companion animals. Today they're allowed in a TSA-style carrier. Breckenridge is now allowing dogs on their shuttle to Quandary Peak (though they still recommend dog owners drive and buy a $50 trailhead parking pass). And it appears RTD now allows non-service animals in a TSA carrier as well (true service animals don't have to be crated).

So perhaps it's no longer entirely prohibited, but just made inconvenient. I have a 35-lb cocker spaniel, and I could probably squeeze him in a carrier and carry it on the bus if necessary. But I can't imagine trying to fit a golden retriever or similar-sized dog in a carrier and carrying him through the bus or train and trying to fit the carrier out of the aisle.

Quote from: Bobby5280 on February 16, 2023, 09:07:08 PM
I didn't know there was a federal regulation banning dogs on mass transit trains. I'm sure they would have to allow exceptions; when I lived in NYC I remember seeing blind people with companion dogs riding the subway. Then there's all the various people with support animals.

It would take one hell of an engineering achievement to create a true high speed rail line that cut thru the Rockies from Denver to the Grand Junction area. I'm not sure if such a thing would even be possible. I know it would not be financially feasible.

There is only one slow speed rail line that manages to cross all of Colorado East-and-West. That's the line entering the Rockies to the West of Pueblo, using the path cut by the Arkansas River.

Denver has a "thru" rail line that has to cut a very crooked path thru the Front Range. The line passes through at least a dozen tunnels, including the 6 mile long Moffat Tunnel, whose West Portal is in Winter Park. The line goes up to Granby. Then it follows alongside the Colorado River down to Dotsero. There it merges with the rail line coming up from Pueblo. Silverthorne is cut off from any rail service at all due to all the big mountains surrounding it.

^^ That Dotsero to Pueblo rail line you mention of has not been in use for decades.  However, there are people who want to reopen that line for transport of oil from Utah to the south and east.  Tree huggers and NIMBYS are trying to prevent it from happening.

Regardless, there would need to be considerable money needed to bring that rail line back to operational status.  If they could upgrade it to high speed at the same time, more power to them, but there would still be a lot of hurdles (an all purpose trail currently parallels much of the westernmost portion).

Quote from: thenetwork on February 17, 2023, 09:32:09 PM

Quote from: Bobby5280 on February 16, 2023, 09:07:08 PM
I didn't know there was a federal regulation banning dogs on mass transit trains. I'm sure they would have to allow exceptions; when I lived in NYC I remember seeing blind people with companion dogs riding the subway. Then there's all the various people with support animals.

It would take one hell of an engineering achievement to create a true high speed rail line that cut thru the Rockies from Denver to the Grand Junction area. I'm not sure if such a thing would even be possible. I know it would not be financially feasible.

There is only one slow speed rail line that manages to cross all of Colorado East-and-West. That's the line entering the Rockies to the West of Pueblo, using the path cut by the Arkansas River.

Denver has a "thru" rail line that has to cut a very crooked path thru the Front Range. The line passes through at least a dozen tunnels, including the 6 mile long Moffat Tunnel, whose West Portal is in Winter Park. The line goes up to Granby. Then it follows alongside the Colorado River down to Dotsero. There it merges with the rail line coming up from Pueblo. Silverthorne is cut off from any rail service at all due to all the big mountains surrounding it.

^^ That Dotsero to Pueblo rail line you mention of has not been in use for decades.  However, there are people who want to reopen that line for transport of oil from Utah to the south and east.  Tree huggers and NIMBYS are trying to prevent it from happening.

Regardless, there would need to be considerable money needed to bring that rail line back to operational status.  If they could upgrade it to high speed at the same time, more power to them, but there would still be a lot of hurdles (an all purpose trail currently parallels much of the westernmost portion).

At some point and time, the people who want to develop the thick, waxy crude that comes from the Uintah Basin are going to realize that geographic areas like the Bakken formation and the Denver-Julesburg Basin exist. When they do, they will realize that the Return on Investment for rebuilding the line through Tennessee Pass and/or building a direct road from the Uintah Basin to I-70 is, to put it kindly, abysmal.

The tree-huggers and the NIMBYs are very much in the right on this one.

Quote from: thenetworkRegardless, there would need to be considerable money needed to bring that rail line back to operational status.  If they could upgrade it to high speed at the same time, more power to them, but there would still be a lot of hurdles (an all purpose trail currently parallels much of the westernmost portion).

It's not physically possible upgrade that existing rail line to high speed operation. The curves are way way too tight and twisty. The grade climbs aren't great for any kinds of "fast" speeds either.

Any true high speed rail line (max speeds over 300kph/186mph) has to be built on all new terrain alignments with grade and curve geometry that allows for high speeds. That means very straight paths and curves that are very gradual. Building new track alongside a river isn't going to work. Building new track for high speeds in an existing freeway median won't work either.

True high speed rail lines are typically double-tracked. The two existing freight rail lines crossing Colorado's Front Range are single tracked. True high speed rail lines are built to be used exclusively by passenger trains. Such trains cannot operate at high speed on any tracks shared with freight trains.

California's high speed rail project is disappointing for the large amount of shared track it will have to use to enter the Bay Area and LA regions.

Quote from: brad2971 on February 18, 2023, 12:14:46 AM

Quote from: thenetwork on February 17, 2023, 09:32:09 PM

Quote from: Bobby5280 on February 16, 2023, 09:07:08 PM
I didn't know there was a federal regulation banning dogs on mass transit trains. I'm sure they would have to allow exceptions; when I lived in NYC I remember seeing blind people with companion dogs riding the subway. Then there's all the various people with support animals.

It would take one hell of an engineering achievement to create a true high speed rail line that cut thru the Rockies from Denver to the Grand Junction area. I'm not sure if such a thing would even be possible. I know it would not be financially feasible.

There is only one slow speed rail line that manages to cross all of Colorado East-and-West. That's the line entering the Rockies to the West of Pueblo, using the path cut by the Arkansas River.

Denver has a "thru" rail line that has to cut a very crooked path thru the Front Range. The line passes through at least a dozen tunnels, including the 6 mile long Moffat Tunnel, whose West Portal is in Winter Park. The line goes up to Granby. Then it follows alongside the Colorado River down to Dotsero. There it merges with the rail line coming up from Pueblo. Silverthorne is cut off from any rail service at all due to all the big mountains surrounding it.

^^ That Dotsero to Pueblo rail line you mention of has not been in use for decades.  However, there are people who want to reopen that line for transport of oil from Utah to the south and east.  Tree huggers and NIMBYS are trying to prevent it from happening.

Regardless, there would need to be considerable money needed to bring that rail line back to operational status.  If they could upgrade it to high speed at the same time, more power to them, but there would still be a lot of hurdles (an all purpose trail currently parallels much of the westernmost portion).

At some point and time, the people who want to develop the thick, waxy crude that comes from the Uintah Basin are going to realize that geographic areas like the Bakken formation and the Denver-Julesburg Basin exist. When they do, they will realize that the Return on Investment for rebuilding the line through Tennessee Pass and/or building a direct road from the Uintah Basin to I-70 is, to put it kindly, abysmal.

The tree-huggers and the NIMBYs are very much in the right on this one.

There are other reasons to reopen the Pueblo to Dotsero line. It's an easier grade in general and less curvy than the Moffat tunnel. Also the Moffat tunnel has a major capacity/frequency limitation-it has to cool down between each train that passes through, so they can only put through 2 trains an hour, freight or passenger.. This idea for using Pueblo route for increasing freight trains through the Rockies has been talked about long before the Uintah shale existed in the public consciousness. That it hasn't been opened shows either a lack of demand, and/or that the railroad is waiting for government grants to assist in the rebuild.