Gypsum Town Council prepares to hire consultants to aid airport interchange project

The town of Gypsum has taken the lead in reviving a plan to build an Interstate 70 interchange to serve the Eagle County Regional Airport. Now it’s time to hire consultants.

The Gypsum Town Council this week heard a presentation from town engineer Matt Figgs on the status of the old plan and what it might take to update it

An airport interchange has been discussed since the 1990s and started life in Eagle County’s engineering department. The plan made significant progress in the early years of this century, getting as far as nearly 95% designed, Figgs said. In addition, the Colorado Department of Transportation holds right of way both north and south of U.S. Highway 6 near the intersection of U.S. Highway 6.

The original design called for realignment of eastbound I-70, and building five bridges. The largest of those bridges would be 2,000 feet long and as tall as 90 feet, crossing the Union Pacific railroad tracks that parallel Highway 6.

But, Figgs said, the federal environmental assessment conducted in 2000 has expired. There are also new rules for interstate interchanges.

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While the town will be the lead agency in reviving the project, it’s going to be complicated and will require dealing with state and federal agencies.

To get the process moving, the town will hire a consultant to help navigate the state and federal bureaucracies. The hiring process will include a request for proposals, with the top three candidates meeting with staff and a selection committee. The Town Council will make the final selection.

Noting the complexities of getting the project’s design upgraded and approved, much less financed, Council member Scott Green noted that “unelected administrators are running things, and it’s unfortunate.”

Council member Kathleen Brendza agreed, adding that the whole process is just “daunting to me.”