Between Genesee Mountain and El Rancho Exit (2 miles) Construction Completed: 1972
Between El Rancho Exit ( Evergreen Parkway ) and Beaver Brook (4.0 miles) Construction Began: 1970 Construction Completed: 1972
Between Beaver Brook and Junction U.S. 6 (4 miles) Construction Completed: 1975
Between Junction U.S. 6 and east Idaho Springs (3 miles) Construction Completed: 1961
Between east & west Idaho Springs – Idaho Springs Bypass (2 miles) Construction Completed: 1961
Between west Idaho Springs and Junction U.S. 40 – Empire (7 miles) Construction Completed: 1966
Between Junction U.S. 40 and Silver Plume (6 miles) Construction Completed: 1968
Between Silver Plume and Eisenhower Tunnel (10 miles) Construction Completed: 1972
EISENHOWER-JOHNSON MEMORIAL TUNNELS
Length: 1.7 miles
Cost: $117 million (Eisenhower Tunnel Bore)
Cost: $-145 million (Johnson Tunnel Bore)
Construction Began: 1968 (Eisenhower Tunnel Bore)
Construction Began: 1975 (Johnson Tunnel Bore)
Completion: March 8, 1973 (Eisenhower Tunnel Bore)
Completion: 1979 (Johnson Tunnel Bore)
To alleviate the distance and rigors of travel over U.S. Hwy. 6 at Loveland Pass , the Colorado Department of Highways developed plans for two two-lane tunnels beneath the Continental Divide three miles from Loveland Pass at elevation 11,000 feet.
The Eisenhower Tunnel Bore, today's westbound bore, was the first tunnel completed. It was planned for three years but actually required five years due to unanticipated hazards and the harsh climate. The tunnel bore was 50 feet high and 45 feet wide.
The Eisenhower Memorial Tunnel was dedicated on March 8, 1973. Federal funds had accounted for about 92% of the $108 million cost. At the height of construction, more than 1,140 persons were employed in three shifts, 24 hours a day, six days a week. The prime contractor was actually a consortium of four contractors – Al Johnson Construction Company ( Minneapolis , MN); Gibbons & Reed Company ( Salt Lake City , UT ); Kemper Construction Company ( Los Angeles , CA ); and Western Paving Construction Company ( Denver , CO ).
The Edwin C. Johnson Memorial Tunnel, named for the Colorado legislator, lieutenant governor, governor, and U.S. Senator, required more than 800 workers. Just under 500 of those workers were employed in actual drilling operations. Work began at both the east and west sides; the first hole connecting the two was blasted on August 17, 1978.
Between Eisenhower Tunnel and Silverthorne (7 miles) Construction Completed: 1973
Between Silverthorne and Frisco (5 miles) Construction Began: 1971 Construction Completed: 1972
Between Frisco and Wheeler Junction – Tenmile Canyon – Junction State Highway 91 (6 miles) Construction Began: 1976 Construction Completed: 1979
Between Wheeler Junction and east Vail (15 miles) Construction Began: 1969 Construction Completed: 1978
POINT OF INTEREST> What route to take? The Vail Pass segment was the subject of much controversy before it was constructed along a route that parallels or shares much of the U.S. 6 route. The Colorado Department of Highways (CDOH) originally proposed to build I-70 west from Silverthorne via the South Willow Creek alignment, through the Eagles Nest Wilderness Area, tunneling under the Gore Range and Red Buffalo Pass, and continuing west via the Gore Creek alignment to Vail (see map). The CDOH dropped the idea after many adversarial public hearings where there was much opposition to going through a wilderness area (see map).
Between east Vail and Dowd Junction area - U.S. 6 & 24 (6 miles) Construction Began: 1967 Construction Completed: 1968 Cost: $2,711,132
Between Dowd Junction area and Avon (4 miles) Construction Completed: 1970 Contractor: Pioneer Construction
Between Avon and Wolcott (10 miles) Construction Completed: 1971
Between Wolcott and Eagle (10 miles) Construction Completed: 1973
Between Eagle and Gypsum (8 miles) Construction Began: 1977 Construction Completed: 1979 Cost: $13.5 million Resident Engineer: Jim Nimon
Between Gypsum and East End of Glenwood Canyon (7.8 miles) Construction Completed: 1980
GLENWOOD CANYON I-70 FINAL LINK
Length: 12 miles
Cost: $490 million
Construction Began: 1980
Construction Completed: 1992
A road had existed through spectacular Glenwood Canyon , with its cliffs towering a maximum of 2,000 feet above the Colorado River , from pioneer times. Photos of teams and wagons negotiating a rough trail through the canyon date from the 1880s.
The Taylor State Road was completed between Denver and Grand Junction in 1902. It was the first improved vehicle road through Glenwood Canyon .
The final link of I-70 through Glenwood Canyon has been hailed as an engineering marvel because of the care taken to incorporate the interstate improvements into the fragile canyon environment while leaving as much of the flora and fauna intact as possible.
As many as 500 highway workers were employed in the canyon each day. The public driving through the area marveled at the new retaining walls, 40 viaducts and bridges, some of which were construction using unique and spectacular slip-form gantry imported from France . At traffic sometimes that sometimes approached 30 minutes or more, drivers had a chance to get out of their vehicles and watch first-hand at the construction activities going on around them.
Construction of three tunnels, 15 miles of retaining walls, and numerous other structures, comprised a challenging but very rewarding project. The Glenwood Canyon project required 30 million points of structural steel, 30 million pounds of reinforcing steel, and 400,000 cubic yards of concrete weighing 1.62 billion pounds.
The result of the Glenwood Canyon I-70 Final Link is much more than just a transportation facility. State-of-the-art rest areas at No Name, Grizzly Creek, Hanging Lake , and Bair Ranch provide opportunities for rest, education about the canyon and the project, and direct access to recreational pursuits such as river rafting and bicycling/jogging/walking along the canyon's recreation path.
Between No Name and Glenwood Springs (3 miles) Construction Began: 1964 Construction Completed: 1966
Between Glenwood Springs and Chacra (7 miles) Construction Completed: 1971
Between Chacra and New Castle (4 miles) Construction Completed: 1971 Cost: approximately $4 million
Between New Castle and Silt (8 miles) Construction Completed: 1973
Between Silt and west Rifle (11 miles) Construction Completed: 1976
Between west Rifle and Rulison (6 miles) Construction Completed: 1980
Between Rulison and Parachute (6 miles) Construction Completed: 1983
Between Parachute and De Beque (13 miles) Construction Completed: 1984
Between De Beque and Junction State Highway 65 – De Beque Canyon (13 miles) Construction Began: 1985 Construction Completed: 1989
Between Junction State Highway 65 and Clifton (12 miles) Construction Began: 1960 Construction Completed: 1963
Between Clifton and Horizon Drive - north Grand Junction (6 miles) Construction Completed: 1965
Between Horizon Drive and 22 Road (5 miles) Construction Began: 1965 Construction Completed: 1967
Between 22 Road and Fruita (6 miles) Construction Began: 1967 or 1968 Construction Completed: 1969
Between Fruita and Mack (8 miles) Construction Completed: 1972
Between Mack and Utah State Line (11 miles) Construction Completed: 1973
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