A major construction project on westbound Interstate 70 over Vail Pass will be paused for the winter season before resuming again in the spring, according to the Colorado Department of Transportation. 

The agency’s I-70 West Vail Pass Auxiliary Lanes project, a multiyear infrastructure overhaul that has been ongoing since 2021, will begin a planned hiatus for the winter starting Friday. 

The project includes lane and infrastructure improvements, relocation of the Vail Pass Recreation Trail, reconstruction of two bridges and more.  

To date, the transportation department has completed mass excavation, built a major retaining wall, finished a new westbound bridge over Polk Creek, and relocated the recpath among other project milestones. 

Crews will return in the spring with a focus on widening the roadway, completing the eastbound I-70 bridge and finishing wildlife underpasses. Construction will also include an avalanche mitigation system, retaining wall work and a project that completes the remaining portion of the recreation path beneath the new highway bridge.

Roadway widening to prepare for the construction of an eastbound auxiliary lane will continue in summer 2025 with work projected to be complete by the end of 2026, the agency stated. 

Significant lane closure impacts are expected to continue during the next construction season.