$490-Million Effort Puts Last Link of I-70 Through Colorado Canyon

Crowds gathered in a nearly mile-long mountain tunnel Wednesday for the opening of the $490-million Glenwood Canyon highway project, the last leg of Interstate 70.

The 12-mile stretch of highway follows the winding contours of scenic Glenwood Canyon along the Colorado River in western Colorado, with a design that sought to protect wildlife habitat and the canyon scenery.

More than 1,500 people gathered for the ribbon-cutting ceremony in one of the project’s two 4,000-foot-long tunnels. The project also features 40 bridges.

The highway is now complete from Baltimore to central Utah, where it connects with I-15 to Southern California. Since 1985, traffic has been one-way through the construction zone.

Gov. Roy Romer, Federal Highway Administration Chief Tom Larson and other officials said the project epitomizes how highway construction can accommodate the environment.

A total of 150,000 new trees and shrubs were planted along the roadway, and rest areas and boat launches were constructed. The highway, built on piers that in places are 90 feet above the river, was constructed around trees that had been growing in the canyon for hundreds of years. Below the highway a system of trails runs the length of the canyon.

The 12-year project involved more than a dozen major contractors, thousands of workers, 1.6 billion pounds of concrete and 60 million pounds of steel. It was finished a year ahead of schedule.