30-minute closures expected for Vail Pass as rock blasting begins on I-70
John LaConte/Vail Daily
The Colorado Department of Transportation and contractor partner Kiewit Construction Inc. are set to begin rock blasting this week on the Vail Pass portion of Interstate 70.
The work will require up to 30-minute evening traffic holds starting Monday, from 6 to 8 p.m.
“Motorists should anticipate one traffic hold and additional delays on evenings when rock blasting work takes place,” CDOT said in an update on Monday.
The work is part of the I-70 West Vail Pass Auxiliary Lanes Project, a five-year, nine-figure effort that got underway in 2021. The project is designed to improve safety and operations in both directions of the highway on West Vail Pass.
The project includes a range of improvements, addressing steep grades and tight curves and adding another lane to the interstate.
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“Rock blasting work is necessary to construct two miles of the new Vail Pass Recreation Trail on the west side of Vail Pass, between Mile Points 185 and 187,” CDOT said on Monday. “Crews will conduct rock blasting and traffic holds once a day for no more than 20 days. That work is anticipated to wrap up by the end of July.”
