Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT) has announced that the Central 70 Project, the department's second public-private partnership (P3) and largest construction project in the state, has broken ground. A ceremony was attended by the Governor of Colorado and Mayor of Denver, alongside community members, local cities and counties, federal and state agencies, and the construction team.

The US$1.2 billion Central 70 Project was awarded to Kiewit Meridiam Partners (KMP) in August 2017. The joint venture of Kiewit Development Co and Meridiam Infrastructure is contracted to reconstruct a 10-mile stretch of Interstate Highway 70 (I-70) east of downtown Denver; add one new Express Lane in each direction along the route; remove an old viaduct; lower an existing interstate section; and construct a four-acre park over a portion of the lowered interstate.

Central 70 is the first of three Express Lanes projects expected to break ground this summer. Construction is anticipated to be completed in 2022, being built in phases to minimize impacts to the adjacent communities and the traveling public. All lanes on the interstate will be kept open during daytime hours.

Speakers at the groundbreaking noted that Central 70 serves one of the state's fastest-growing corridors, which is projected to grow at a faster pace than the region as a whole over the next decade. Today, I-70 carries upwards of 200,000 vehicles per day, including commercial and shipping traffic, as well as commuter and tourist vehicles.