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Work will return to the for the season on April 28, according to information released by the Colorado Department of Transportation this week.

The project, which started in 2021, aims to improve safety and traffic flow on West Vail Pass with a series of improvements between Vail and the top of Vail Pass, specifically at the East Vail Interchange (mile point 180) and the Vail Pass Rest Area (mile marker 190), according to CDOT.

The department said work this summer is set to include continued construction of the eastbound I-70 bridge, roadway widening for the eastbound auxiliary lane, installing wildlife fencing and crossings, rock scaling (the removal of loose rock from slopes and cliff walls above the interstate) and helicopter operations for installation of avalanche prevention fencing.

“Significant impacts are expected this summer due to the nature of the roadway work and limited construction season due to the high-alpine environment,” according to CDOT. “Motorists should anticipate delays through the project area from early May through September 2025.”

Work will continue until November 2025, with construction then pausing for the 2025/2026 winter season.

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Major project

One of the main aspects of the project this summer will be its namesake feature, construction of the eastbound I-70 auxiliary lane and roadway widening between mile markers 187.3 and 190.

In early May, traffic will be shifted onto temporary pavement into a barrier-separated, head-to-head configuration in the current westbound lanes. This shift will make room for the significant wall work and roadway widening needed for the eastbound auxiliary lanes.

Another major part of the slated work this summer will be the installation of an avalanche prevention fence at mile marker 186.

“The fencing will help stabilize the snowpack and catch smaller, initial snowslide movements,” according to CDOT. “The system will allow CDOT and the Colorado Avalanche Information Center (CAIC) to safely monitor and manage a known avalanche slide path and prevent extended interstate closures.”

Fence installation work will require rock scaling and helicopter operations, requiring 20-minute traffic holds of I-70 in both directions and the Vail Pass Recreation Path. Traffic holds are expected to begin in early June and occur Monday through Thursday between 9:30 a.m. and 2:30 p.m. Subsequent traffic holds throughout the summer will be intermittent.

Substantial work will continue on the five wildlife underpasses — two for large animals and three for small to medium-sized animals that will be built under I-70 between mile markers 187 and 190. In addition, high deer fencing is being added in the same location to prevent wildlife-vehicle collisions.

And the construction of a new bridge deck in the eastbound lanes — a counterpart to the new westbound bridge at mile marker 185.2 that was completed in 2023 — is expected to wrap up this summer, as well.

“Last summer, crews demolished the old westbound I-70 bridge and built the new bridge foundation, abutments, columns and piers for the eastbound I-70 bridge,” according to CDOT. “This season, crews will set girders and build the bridge deck to complete this eastbound I-70 structure.”

In addition to travel and road information found at COtrip.org and on COTrip Planner mobile app, the I-70 West Vail Pass Auxiliary Lanes Project is implementing a text alert notification service to notify motorists of expected impacts. Travelers can text vailpass (one word) to 21000 to receive regular communication.

Year five of six

The I-70 West Vail Pass Auxiliary Lanes project began in late 2021 and is expected to run through December 2026, pausing between November and April of each year.

The project was originally projected to cost about $140 million, but has since escalated to cost an estimated $170 million.

The project is considered a technological achievement, developing some of the plans originally envisioned as the interstate was being built through the area in the 1970s, but unable to be carried out at that time.

In addition to the interstate, the project also includes improvements to the Vail Pass Recreation Path, the country’s highest-elevation section of interstate with an adjacent hard-surface recreation path.

The Vail Pass Recreation Path is scheduled to remain open and accessible to riders and trail users this season, but some riders might experience delays similar to motorists on I-70.

“There is the potential that recreation trail users will need to be held, just like vehicle traffic on I-70, during rock scaling and helicopter activity,” according to CDOT. “Intermittent trail holds for safety-critical work may occur and variable trail conditions could exist through construction areas. Recreation path users should prepare for winter- and spring-like weather and trail conditions until regular maintenance begins in June.”