I-70 West Vail Pass

Interstate 70 through Vail Pass carries an average of 22,000 vehicles per day, with trucks accounting for 11.6% of traffic. To improve safety and operations, the Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT) Region 3 selected Kiewit Infrastructure Co. to add auxiliary lanes in both directions between the East Vail and Vail Pass exits.

The project includes a 5-mile roadway realignment at three locations, shoulder widening, relocation of the Vail Pass Recreation Trail, six wildlife crossings, bridge replacements, an anti-icing system and reconstruction of a runaway truck ramp. The crew also made infrastructure improvements to avalanche mitigation systems, drainage, fiber-optic cable and traffic monitoring.

During preconstruction, Kiewit provided value engineering, cost estimating, risk analysis and constructability planning. Prioritizing the westbound bridge over Polk Creek enabled shorter structures, safer demolition access and significant cost and schedule advantages. Early work packages delivered the runaway truck ramp and a 2-mile trail relocation before major highway and bridge construction.

Construction is phased around mountain work seasons, which are limited to roughly five months each year, while maintaining two lanes in each direction. Offline bridge construction, nighttime work, a movable barrier system, slope drainage and soil-nail walls help manage traffic, unstable ground and nearby waterways.

To reduce material costs, the team hauled asphalt from Kiewit’s Front Range plants on a two- to three-hour trip through mountain terrain, saving more than $1 million. The truck ramp opened in November 2021 and has since been used an estimated 40 times in emergencies, with remaining construction scheduled to wrap up in November 2026.