We encourage community members and business owners to contact CDOT and the Governor's Office to express support for the Vail Pass Auxiliary Lanes Project construction project

The Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT) recognizes in its strategic plan that Colorado’s interstates are the backbone of our transportation system. They are key to Colorado’s economy — connecting goods and people across our state and region.

CDOT has consistently heard about the importance of adding passing lanes to provide safe passage in mountainous terrain, particularly along corridors with high numbers of freight trucks. The I-70 West Vail Pass Auxiliary Lanes Project is designed to improve safety and operations in both directions of the highway on West Vail Pass.

The project limits extend from the East Vail Exit at Mile Point 180 to the Vail Pass Rest Area at Mile Point 190 and include a wide range of improvements to address the unique nature of Vail Pass. This stretch of I-70 includes steep grades and tight curves and the intermingling of faster-moving passenger vehicles with slower-moving trucks often results in inconsistent and slow travel times along the corridor.

The Town of Vail, the Town of Avon, Eagle County, and others have been major supporters of the project, along with many other stakeholders. This project was the Number 1 project from CDOT Region 3, so much so that the four Transportation Planning Regions all collectively pooled resources to ensure this project moved forward.

It is with disappointment that there has been a significant change in the scope of the West Vail Pass Project, particularly with CDOT’s decision to remove the almost two-mile “Narrows” portion of the eastbound auxiliary lane from the project.

There were many important components to the project, but the crown jewel was the addition of climbing lanes starting before the “Narrows”, Mile Marker (MM) 185 to the top of Vail Pass. Another significant safety improvement of the West Vail Pass Project was the completion of a curve straightening westbound at MM 186 which is the tightest curve (spiral curve which tightens as you begin to drive through). This combined with entering the steepest downhill section of the pass creates one of the top crash sites on the I-70 corridor.

Although the budget shortfall in the range of $40-$60M is significant and not easy to overcome, the cost to re-mobilize along with 6-8% annual increases in construction costs will make a future project unattainable. We encourage CDOT to work with local partners and to remain committed to providing all the support necessary to secure funding to complete the key component of the narrows improvements of the West Vail Pass Auxiliary Lane project. The Town of Vail has been clear – and we agree – that not completing it will be considered a failure on the part of CDOT and will further erode the trust and confidence in CDOT and the State regarding the agreements made as part of the I-70 PEIS.

The positive impact and significance of this portion of the West Vail Pass project is far-reaching. This is impactful to Vail, surrounding communities, interstate commerce, and travelers. Vail Pass experiences the most snowfall along the I-70 corridor, and the “narrows” section is the steepest portion of both Vail Pass and the entire I-70 corridor, and the location of many incidents both winter and summer. This section of roadway experiences the greatest differential speeds occurring between slow-moving vehicles and those traveling at highway speeds, causing unsafe conditions and accidents.

Both the auxiliary lanes and curve straightening, as major components of the West Vail Pass Auxiliary Lane initial project, must be funded. We encourage business owners and community members to express their support to fully fund this project by contacting CDOT at https://www.codot.gov/topcontent/contact-cdot and our state elected officials.

Chris Romer is president & CEO of Vail Valley Partnership, the regional chamber of commerce. Learn more at VailValleyPartnership.com