Work on the I-70 West Vail Pass Auxiliary Lanes project is concluding for the winter season, with significant progress made during 2025. The Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT) reported that crews spent over 90,000 combined hours on site, averaging 60 workers per day. Major achievements include opening a new eastbound bridge between East Vail and Vail Pass at Mile Point 185 and an eastbound auxiliary lane approaching Vail Pass between MP 187.3 and 190.
The project will enter a planned winter shutdown starting Friday, Nov. 7, with work expected to resume in spring 2026 for its final construction phase. No scheduled lane closures are anticipated during the winter break; however, some minor work may continue away from the roadway.
To accommodate ski season travel and ongoing snow removal operations, I-70 will maintain two lanes in each direction throughout the winter. The newly completed eastbound auxiliary lane will be open for its first winter season, offering three lanes of travel on the approach to Vail Pass between MP 187.3 and 190.
Maintenance of the Vail Pass recreation path will pause during winter and resume in spring.
CDOT has introduced an online hub focused on the I-70 Mountain Corridor to provide centralized information about winter driving conditions, road status updates, and travel tips. This resource consolidates tools from COtrip.org and the COtrip Planner app at codot.gov/i70mountain.
“Vail Pass is a critical thoroughfare for our mountain communities. That’s why these safety improvements are so important for the I-70 Mountain Corridor,” said CDOT Region 3 Transportation Director Jason Smith. “With work pausing for the season, we can reflect and appreciate the tremendous progress made this year. Most notably, the new eastbound bridge and auxiliary lane will improve traffic flow and reduce crashes this winter and beyond.”
The new eastbound auxiliary lane is designed to give slower-moving vehicles such as commercial trucks a dedicated climbing space over Vail Pass, separating them from faster passenger vehicles to address speed differences that have previously led to safety concerns along this stretch.
This summer saw completion of a new eastbound bridge at MP 185.2—designed for a lifespan of one hundred years—with improved curve geometry spanning more than 560 feet in length and providing over 22,250 square feet of driving surface area. The wider bridge also offers expanded shoulders for emergency response access if needed.
Crews resurfaced parts of eastbound I-70 between Mile Points 179 and 185 to improve pavement quality ahead of increased seasonal use by travelers.
A parking lot along Big Horn Road was expanded using excess construction materials through partnership with the U.S. Forest Service; this expansion aims to reduce conflicts among parked vehicles near recreational paths while improving trailhead access for Gore Lake and Deluge Lake hikers.
In collaboration with Xcel Energy, five miles of fiber-optic conduit were installed within a shared utility trench linking electric main lines with highway cameras and traveler information systems—enhancing resources available via COtrip.org and its mobile application.
Nearly two miles of recreation path were reconstructed in summer 2022 as part of broader improvements to accommodate highway widening projects; enhancements included drainage systems designed to protect Black Gore Creek from sediment runoff as well as construction of a retaining wall beneath new bridges supporting relocated pathways.
Information technology upgrades continue alongside utility installations for a westbound highway closure system gate at Vail Pass’s MP 190 interchange; future additions include variable speed limit signs and updated message boards.
When construction resumes next spring, efforts will focus on finishing paving operations, completing wildlife crossings—including underpasses intended to lower vehicle-wildlife collision rates—and installing avalanche mitigation systems alongside final landscaping work beneath newly built bridges.
