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Drone Shows Progress On Central 70 Project As Some Elements Near Completion

DENVER (CBS4)- The Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT) says they are on track to complete the Central 70 Project by the end of 2022. The $1.2 billion project stretches 10 miles from Brighton Boulevard to Chambers Road.

I-70 CLOSURE 10PKG_frame_183
(credit: CBS)

"We're 15 months into construction, we have a lot of progress that we made, you can't see a lot of that progress from I-70," said CDOT's Director of the Central 70 Project Keith Stefanik

As drivers commute along the I-70 viaduct, walls obstruct the view of the work being done below.

cdot drone Central 70 Project
A drone with the Colorado Department of Transportation flies over the Central 70 Project. (credit: CDOT)

"From about Steele/Vasquez to I'd say Josephine Street we have a majority of the excavation complete for what we call the North Bore, which is the future westbound lanes."

Stefanik gave the media a tour of the progress.

"There's a lot of individual elements completed, such as Columbine Bridge, Clayton Bridge, the I-270 flyover," he said.

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(credit: CBS)

And major construction on the eastern segment, from Quebec Street out to Chambers Road, is expected to wrap up by the end of this year.

"You'll see that tolled Express Lane taking shape, you'll see a wide median in the inside, we just can't open that tolled express lane, that added capacity, until we get these other segments open."

So far this year main contractor Kiewit says 1.2 million man hours have been worked, and 750 thousand cubic yards have been excavated.

CENTRAL 70 TOUR 6 PKG_frame_1706
(credit: CBS)

"My personal hope is that we maintain our current production rates, we get some good Winter weather and we really take the next big chunk of construction off this project."

LINK: Central 70 Project

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