Colorado drivers can expect delays on I-70 in mountains because of rock blasting 2 to 3 times a week
Find out how to avoid the closures east of Idaho Springs on I-70 this summer
Find out how to avoid the closures east of Idaho Springs on I-70 this summer
Find out how to avoid the closures east of Idaho Springs on I-70 this summer
Drivers on Interstate 70 can expect 20 minute delays because of rock blasting this summer. I-70 on Floyd Hill is undergoing a major overhaul, and exploding part of a mountain is the only way to get it done.
"We're about 80 blasts into the project, and we're going to continue blasting two to three times a week, over the next year and a half," said Kurt Kionka, Colorado Department of Transportation's Floyd Hill Project Director.
Rock blasting construction area
CBS
"Rock is hard to excavate," Kionka said.
Crews are still working to carve out parts of an area east of the Veterans Memorial Tunnels as part of the Floyd Hill project.
"Our blasts are typically between 9 a.m. and 3 p.m., Monday through Thursday, and then 9 a.m. and noon on Friday. And we do not touch the weekends," Kionka said.
Rock falls down a cliffside as part of blasting off I-70 in the Floyd Hill area.
CBS
The blasts will help make wider turns, less steep grades and fewer bottlenecks for drivers.
The Floyd Hill reconstruction project is expected to be completed around 2028.
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