Governor Polis and the Colorado Department of Transportation announced Colorado as the recipient of a $100,000,000 Nationally Significant Multimodal Freight and Highway Projects grant program (INFRA) award. This federal program offers competitive grant opportunities for projects that improve safety, increase efficiency, and offer an opportunity to generate economic growth. The Funding will go towards I-70’s Floyd Hill Project which will expand reliability and safety and improve aspects of Colorado’s I-70’s Mountain Corridor.
“Everyone who travels the I-70 Mountain Corridor knows Floyd Hill as the first place where you get stuck in traffic as you leave Denver. Getting this traffic jam fixed has been a priority for my Administration for years, and it is a centerpiece of our Ten Year Plan for transportation. It is no accident that I joined state legislators and stakeholders at this spot to sign our historic transportation funding bill. Secretary Buttigieg, our federal legislators and I also stood together at this site to highlight our tremendous need for fixing roads and bridges. I would like to thank our delegation for their tremendous advocacy for this $100 million grant to help Coloradans get out of traffic,” said Gov. Polis.
Floyd Hill Project will add a third westbound express lane to help eliminate severe bottlenecking that currently plagues travel time, add a new connection between route 6 and Idaho Springs to expand emergency and detour accessibility, and improve visibility and safety risks along the road. Additionally, the project will add wildlife protections like wildlife bridges and restore surrounding animal habits. Finally, the project aims to protect the environment through the addition of air quality monitors, the integration of electric vehicle infrastructure, and the expansion of public transit routes.