U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg and Colorado Governor Jared Polis look over the progress on the Floyd Hill project on Friday, April 19, 2024. Photo courtesy of CDOT.
It probably wasn’t the best day on Friday for the U.S. Transportation Secretary to visit Colorado — given the CDOT safety closure of the U.S. 50 bridge near Blue Mesa — but nevertheless, he arrived.
Governor Jared Polis welcomed Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg to Colorado, specifically to discuss the Floyd Hill Infrastructure Improvement Progress. The Floyd Hill project is expected to reduce traffic, save Coloradans time on the road, and improve safety in the stretch of interstate Highway between Evergreen and Idaho Springs
“Traveling into the mountains, whether to hike, kayak, ski, visit family, or explore our great communities, is an important part of the Colorado way of life. These improvements will help create easier access to our beautiful high country and I thank Secretary Buttigieg and the Biden Administration for their continued partnership on this important effort,” said Polis.
“Floyd Hill is a challenging section of I-70 to drive, but CDOT’s team is making good progress on thoughtful improvements to make travel through this area smoother and safer,” said CDOT Executive Director Shoshana Lew. “Combined with our expanded transit investments, including the Pegasus [bus shuttle] service along this stretch of I-70, Coloradans will have better travel options to access the mountains and all there is to enjoy there.”
The Floyd Hill work began with a ground breaking in October, 2022, made possible by state and federal investments including a $100 million grant from the Biden administration.
The project, included in the Polis administration’s 10-Year Vision Plan, will add a new westbound lane to reduce traffic, minimize congestion, and provide Coloradans with easier travel into Colorado’s iconic Rocky Mountains. Other improvements include:
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Rebuilding highly used bridges
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Create a frontage road to improve emergency response
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Extend the on-ramp from U.S. 6 to allow for safer merging
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Improve roadway curves that create dangerously short lines of sight for drivers
Now, if there can be swift progress on reopening the U.S. 50 Blue Mesa bridge — over in this part of Colorado we’d all breathe a bit easier.
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