Gov. Polis seeks $116 million in federal funding aid to rebuild I-70 in Glenwood Canyon

GLENWOOD SPRINGS, Colo. (KRDO) -- Crews spent the weekend clearing mud and other debris from I-70 through Glenwood Canyon.

The Colorado Department of Transportation says crews were able to make significant progress Saturday, August 7, and Sunday, August 8, hauling 440 loads of debris off the road.

According to CDOT, each truckload equaled 13 tons of material.

On the east side of Glenwood Canyon, crews were able to clear the remainder of debris from the eastbound lanes at milepost 124.3, which is an important area to assess to determine what is required to safely reopen I-70.

On the west side of Glenwood Canyon, crews were able to completely uncover the remainder of the debris at milepost 123.5, allowing CDOT inspections and CDOT engineering teams to get a better assessment of the damage.

CDOT says this area is one of the most critical areas for the inspection/engineering team to inspect the potential damage now that the debris is cleared for visual inspection to occur.

To help with repairs, the Polis administration is seeking $116 million in federal emergency aid through the Federal Highway Administration's Emergency Relief program.

As part of the request, the state asks $11.6 million, or 10% of the total request, to be issued in an expedited process.

Polis and Department of Transportation Director Shoshana Lew sent the request through a letter to Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg and FHWA Acting Administrator Stephanie Pollack. A separate submission was also sent to the FHWA Colorado Division office.

This funding is in addition to the disaster declarations approved by Polis on Friday, August 6.

The funding request notes that $116 million is an estimate made as debris removal efforts and damage assessments are still ongoing. CDOT said updated assessments and funding requests are expected in the next 8 to 10 weeks.

The request for federal emergency funding also includes funding to study and construct safety improvements to alternate routes in Glenwood Canyon.

The funding request breaks down several high-level categories:

• Debris removal costs (includes maintenance staff costs) = $4 million
• Impacts to existing State Highway alternate routes (as a result of I-70 closure) costs = $10 million
• Supplemental traffic control services (contractor) costs = $1 million
• Visible damage estimates caused by event damage or debris removal hauling costs = $20 million
• Assumed damage repair estimates (non-visible) costs = $20 million
• Potential geohazard mitigation at several locations = $5 million
• Construction Management and Construction Engineering costs = $5 million
• Future Resiliency & Redundancy Study costs = $50 million
• CDOT administration (non-maintenance staff) costs = $1 million