VACATIONERS heading west this summer could be stuck in hours of gridlock as a key mountain route braces for weeks of construction work.
Major delays are expected along Interstate 70, one of the busiest highways in the country, as crews take on the next phase of a long-running project.
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The trouble zone is Vail Pass, a high-altitude stretch of road that winds through the Rocky Mountains in central Colorado.
Located between the towns of Vail and Copper Mountain, Vail Pass climbs to more than 10,000 feet and is a critical route for drivers heading to popular mountain resorts.
The pass is loaded with hills and sharp turns, and officials say there’s only so much they can do to make the stretch easier for drivers.
“We can’t do anything about the steep grades, but we can do something about the curves,” John Kronholm, a Colorado Department of Transportation engineer, told CBS News.
Crews are now widening curves, building wildlife crossings, and trying to make the road safer for everyone who crosses it.
The construction project has been years in the making.
Unpredictable mountain weather has delayed progress, with workers only getting a few good months each year to get things done.
“We typically say from about May 1 to maybe November 8, if we’re lucky,” Kronholm said, as snow fell on the first day of May this year.
This week, crews were spotted plowing snow to clear the way for the summer construction blitz.
The worst of the disruption kicks off June 2, when drivers will face multiple rolling stops throughout the day.
Each closure will last up to 20 minutes, with work set to continue for about three weeks.
Traffic holds and lane closures will stretch into the summer, depending on weather and progress.
The project’s estimated cost has climbed to $170 million, up from an initial projection of around $140 million.
The Colorado Department of Transportation says it will alert drivers as each wave of work begins.
2025 Construction Resumes on Vail Pass
The project has resumed work for the 2025 summer construction season.
- May: Daily single-lane closures on I-70 eastbound and westbound from MP 185 to 190.
- Early to Mid-June: Rock-scaling requires traffic holds Monday through Thursday from 9:30 AM to 2:30 PM.
- Mid-June to Early September: Intermittent traffic holds (1-2 days/week) while helicopters lift avalanche materials; holds last about 20 minutes.
- Recreation Path: The Vail Pass Recreation Path remains open but may experience temporary holds during rock scaling and helicopter activity. Maintenance resumes in June.
- Work Continues Until November 2025, with a winter pause.
Construction Schedule
- East Section: Began July 2023, expected completion by Summer 2026.
- West Section: Began March 2024, expected completion by Summer 2028.
- Central Section: Begins Fall 2024, expected completion by Late 2028.
Those updates may include full traffic holds or lane closures, with crews aiming to schedule work during off-peak hours.
Kronholm said crews try to avoid working during peak travel hours to limit the chaos.
Travelers can sign up for real-time updates by texting “vailpass” to 21000.
Work zones and closures are expected to keep popping up well into the warmer months as transportation officials try to improve the stretch of road.
DANGEROUS ROAD
The dangerous section is infamous for crashes and tight turns, with state officials calling it the most accident-prone part of I-70.
Data from the Colorado State Patrol revealed that 52% of crashes on Vail Pass between mile markers 182 and 193 were speed-related between 2021 and 2023.
“Statistically in Colorado, it has the highest crash rate in all of I-70,” Kronholm said.
That title switches every year between mileposts 186 and 188, he added.
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