I-270 Is Finally Getting Rebuilt After More Than 60 Years
COMMERCE CITY, CO — After 65 emergency bridge repairs in the last decade, the Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT) and Kiewit have officially kicked off the $806 million I-270 Corridor Improvements project between I-25 and I-70.
I-270 Current Conditions | Sourced from CDOT
The groundbreaking follows six years of environmental review and community engagement led by CDOT and the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA), in partnership with Adams County, Commerce City and the City & County of Denver.
I-270 opened in 1965 and now carries more than 100,000 vehicles a day, with heavy trucks making up between 8 and 17 percent of that traffic. According to CDOT, it’s the only interstate in Colorado that has never received a major upgrade.
The corridor’s bridges have exceeded their design life. Over the past 10 years, CDOT has carried out 160 planned maintenance activities and 65 emergency repairs on them, and those repairs often require lane closures during peak travel times.
The project will replace 12 bridges built in the 1960s and add one tolled Express Lane in each direction alongside two free general-purpose lanes. Buses, motorcycles and carpools of three or more will be able to use the Express Lanes for free.
I-270 Bridge Deck Patching at the Burlington Canal | Photo Sourced from CDOT
The Vasquez Boulevard interchange will be completely rebuilt, and ramps at I-76, York Street and Quebec Street will be improved to reduce merging and weaving crashes. A continuous auxiliary lane will be added between Vasquez Boulevard and York Street, and wider shoulders and emergency turnarounds will help crews clear crashes and breakdowns faster.
The project also makes the corridor easier to cross without a car. A new bicycle and pedestrian bridge will span I-270 between East 56th Avenue and Quebec Street. New sidewalks, multi-use paths and safer crossings will improve connections to the South Platte River and Sand Creek trails, and four new RTD bus stops will be added near the Quebec Street interchange. CDOT will also add air quality monitoring, water quality ponds and wetlands mitigation along the corridor.
The project will be built in three phases. Phase 1 runs from October 2026 to early 2030 and covers embankment work, the eight bridges in the worst condition, and mainline I-270 from the South Platte River to the Vasquez Boulevard ramps.
Phases 2 and 3 will both run from early 2030 to 2033. Phase 2 will rebuild the remaining mainline, the Vasquez Boulevard interchange, and the York Street and 56th Avenue bridges. Phase 3 will reconstruct the Vasquez Boulevard bridge over Sand Creek, improve Sandcreek Drive and build the new bike and pedestrian overpass.
Another significant component of the Clayworks redevelopment is its district-scale geothermal energy system, designed to reduce the energy required to heat and cool buildings throughout the property.
The system includes approximately 42 geothermal wells extending roughly 500 feet underground. Once operational as planned, the infrastructure is expected to provide approximately 80% of the development's heating and cooling load while reducing energy consumption by approximately 25%.
The Pottery is also targeting LEED Gold and WELL Gold certifications, reflecting the project's emphasis on sustainable building systems, energy efficiency and workplace design.
Bridge Rail Deterioration at the WB I-270 over 60th Ave and BNSF Spur Structure | Photo Sourced from CDOT
Construction of the geothermal infrastructure included an apprenticeship partnership with CanAmerica, providing hands-on workforce training connected to the installation of the system. The program received recognition from the U.S. Department of Labor.
Early work will happen overnight, so drivers shouldn’t see daytime impacts on mainline I-270 for now. Drivers should expect overnight single-lane closures between the South Platte River and 60th Avenue from 9 p.m. to 5 a.m., right shoulder closures on westbound I-270 in that same stretch, and daytime flagging on Brighton Boulevard just north of I-270.
Real-time conditions are available HERE. For project updates, text I270PROJECT to 21000 (PROYECTO270 for Spanish) or call the project hotline at 720-743-7653.
Project Team
Department: Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT)
Federal Partner: Federal Highway Administration (FHWA)
Contractor: Kiewit Corporation
Local Partners: Adams County, Commerce City, City and County of Denver
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All project information was sourced from publicly available site plans, renderings, and permitting documents.
6 minute read • CDOT and Kiewit begin an $806 million reconstruction of I-270, adding 12 new bridges, express lanes, interchange upgrades and pedestrian connections.