Colorado delays $100 million Glenwood Canyon I-70 project to 2028 to avoid overlap with Aspen airport closure
Why It MattersAspen's 2027 runway closure is already reshaping regional planning, pushing Western Slope business-jet and airline traffic toward alternate airports and prompting road work to be rescheduled around it.
The Colorado Department of Transportation will delay the $100 million I-70 Glenwood Canyon phase 8 project by one year, from 2027 to 2028, to avoid overlapping with the Aspen/Pitkin County Airport Modernization Project. The Colorado Transportation Commission voted unanimously on Thursday, Oct. 15 to approve the delay and added $5 million to address inflation and cost escalation tied to the postponement. The project had been projected to cost $101 million before the additional funding.
The Aspen/Pitkin County Airport will be closed from 11 p.m. Sunday, April 4, 2027, through 7 p.m. Friday, Nov. 19, 2027, so the existing runway can be completely reconstructed to meet current Federal Aviation Administration standards. Construction of a new commercial passenger terminal and Fixed Based Operator facility also begins in April 2027. No commercial or general aviation operations will be allowed during the closure, and travelers are advised to use alternate regional airports. The closure is expected to drive a nearly 130% increase in flights to Eagle County Regional Airport.
The 12.5-mile elevated highway through Glenwood Canyon was completed in 1992, and in 2021 mudslides following a wildfire closed the canyon for almost three weeks. The postponed phase 8 work includes new concrete surfacing on highway lanes and inside the No Name and Highway Lake Tunnels, added guardrails, upgrades to aging bridge decks, supporting walls and highway structures, and weather stations at three canyon locations. It also covers debris clearing from the 2021 Grizzly Creek Fire and floods and protective barriers for mudslide resilience.
