Town of Vail urges CDOT to complete I-70 Vail Pass project as planned
An eastbound auxiliary lane in the Narrows and improvements to a westbound curve are on the chopping block — and Vail’s Town Council is not happy
Colorado Department of Transportation/Vail Daily archive
As the Colorado Department of Transportation rethinks the final stages of the I-70 West Vail Pass Auxiliary Lanes Project, the town of Vail is urging CDOT officials to complete two components of the project currently on the chopping block.
The two improvements in limbo include adding an auxiliary lane on eastbound I-70 before the “Narrows” section of the pass, which extends from mile marker 185 to the top of Vail Pass, and improvements to a westbound curve at mile marker 186.
In a letter to Gov. Jared Polis and Shoshana Lew, the executive director of CDOT, the Vail Town Council expressed “our strong concern and disappointment with the significant change in scope of the West Vail Pass Project, particularly with the decision to remove the almost two-mile ‘Narrows’ portion of the eastbound auxiliary lane from the project.”
“Not completing the improvements through the Narrows as promised is shortsighted and a liability. A meaningful reduction in the number of incidents could be achieved with an auxiliary lane, thereby also reducing the number of I-70 closures,” the letter states.
The letter was written after project leadership for the I-70 West Vail Pass Auxiliary Lane Project received information from CDOT that these components would no longer be funded, according to the town. Greg Hall, the town’s public works director, serves on the leadership team and told the council at its Tuesday, March 5, meeting that this was a “significant disappointment.”
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On Monday, March 11, CDOT held a meeting with the Vail Pass project team and local stakeholders to share an update. According to a memo, the meeting was held as CDOT finalizes “plans for the 2024 construction season on Vail Pass and is seeking input on final elements to award the final construction package for the project.”
Construction on the I-70 West Vail Pass Auxiliary Lanes project started in 2021 and is expected to continue through 2026. According to the project website, the goal of the work is to “improve safety and operations in both directions of the highway on West Vail Pass,” including lane and infrastructure improvements, relocation of the Vail Pass Recreation Trail, reconstruction of two bridges and more.
Rising costs
CDOT is rethinking the scope as the cost of the project has more than doubled since it started. Initially, the work was projected to cost around $140 million. However, according to the memo from Monday’s meeting, the total project budget has grown to $325 million.
“To date, CDOT has added $89 million worth of additional infrastructure improvements beyond what was first proposed in 2019,” reads the memo.
The infrastructure improvements include a new westbound bridge, hazmat collection systems for the new runaway truck ramp, fiber-optic cable replacement, culvert remediation, camera installations, an avalanche mitigation system and more.
In addition, “CDOT has added $95 million from various funding sources to account for the acute inflationary pressures that have hit the construction industry since the scope and budget for this project was first established,” the memo adds.
Reshaping the project
With costs ballooning, CDOT’s “preferred option” for the remaining work on the project would deliver “as many project elements as possible with remaining funding,” while leaving some elements “for future construction that can be completed without larger disruptions or wasteful demolition of recent work.”
Matt Inzeo, communications director for CDOT, said that the recommended path forward has not been finalized and the project team has committed to further discussion on the scope of the work. However, decisions are expected to be made relatively quickly “to get plans set in a way that lets us make the most use of the limited construction window each season.”
In the preferred option, the “critical features” that would be completed would include wildlife crossings and fencing, straightening the westbound curve at mile marker 188, and constructing 3.5 miles of an auxiliary eastbound lane from mile marker 187.3 to the top of Vail Pass.
Among the items that would then be left to a future date would include several pull-out areas, variable speed limit and variable message signs, improvements to the westbound curve at mile marker 186, and a 1.8-mile stretch of the planned eastbound auxiliary lane.
Vail responds
The latter two components are the ones that the town is advocating be left within the project scope.
“Not completing it will be considered a failure on the part of CDOT and will further erode the trust and confidence in CDOT and the state regarding the agreements made as part of the I-70 PEIS (Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement),” reads the letter.
In listing why this portion of the project is so necessary, the letter emphasizes that the Narrows portion sees many incidents during the summer and winter due to large speed differentials, the area’s high snowfall and its steep grade.
The letter adds that eastbound Vail Pass “experiences the most pass closures of any portion of the I-70 corridor,” which have a significant impact on the town of Vail and public safety staff.
“Vail Fire and Emergency staff responds to all emergency incidents on the pass, resulting in crews dangerously exposed to moving traffic or forcing the lanes to be closed for emergency vehicles to respond. The auxiliary lane in many cases would allow issues being attended to while the traveling public could safely bypass the incident,” reads the letter.
The letter acknowledges the budget shortfall of the project, but adds that these costs will only continue to increase and make “a future project unattainable.”
“We appreciate all the additional resources CDOT has put forward to move this challenging project to the point it is at. However, it is extremely short-sighted to not fund the final portion of completing the climbing lanes in the Narrows section as well as reducing a top accident location WB. The cost of this work will not get any cheaper,” reads the letter.
Last week, in a meeting with Western Slope legislators, Sen. Dylan Roberts and Rep. Megan Lukens, the Vail Town Council raised its concerns over these elements being possibly eliminated from the project.
“It is, in my opinion, so short-sighted to stop the work where we are,” said Vail Mayor Travis Coggin. “The impact is overwhelming, really, on our community when I-70 shuts down in those places; we just aren’t built to store all of the traffic on I-70 for four-plus hours. And furthermore, it’s a safety issue. If there’s an accident, you know, how are our first responders getting up there?”
Council urged Lukens and Roberts to emphasize just how critical these components of the project are to the community.
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“The most dangerous section of that whole project is what’s not going to be done. So hopefully, you guys can find a way to convince the governor and the powers to be at CDOT to make sure that this gets completed because, after all, this is a safety issue,” urged Council member Dave Chapin.
In the memo from the Monday meeting, CDOT acknowledges that “this is an important decision point for the I-70 Vail Pass project,” expressing its desire to hear feedback as well as alternative proposals, ideas or suggestions from the stakeholders involved.
