Colorado state officials said a collaboration with regional entities has resulted in multimodal features being incorporated into roadway management and development initiatives for an interchange near the Denver International Airport.
The Colorado Transportation Commission has approved a resolution enabling the Interstate 70 and Harvest Road exchange project to advance.
“This is a tremendous and collaborative effort between the Colorado Department of Transportation and our regional partners in Denver, Aurora and Adams County, resulting in an innovative model for linking new housing to transit and considering a range of approaches to help mitigate demands on I-70,” Colorado Department of Transportation Executive Director Shoshana Lew said. “This collaboration takes innovative strides in how we consider land use in transportation planning, and we appreciate the leadership of the Aerotropolis Regional Transportation Authority (ARTA), Aurora and the Denver Regional Council of Governments (DRCOG) in reaching this agreement.”
The ARTA represents the City of Aurora, Adams County, and the Aerotropolis Area Coordinating Metro District. The authority provides a source of funding for regional transportation improvements south of the airport and north of I-70.
The project is slated to move people and commerce to the Denver International Airport and the adjacent Colorado Aerotropolis – a residential, commercial, and industrial community expected to create 170,000 new jobs.
The work scope involves carrying Harvest Road over the interstate and using roundabouts for better traffic flow, including a detailed multi-modal plan featuring three miles of a pedestrian/bike trail; 10 additional miles of trails north of I-70 and south of the Denver International Airport; and a proposed bridge span to accommodate managed lanes, including express/HOV/transit lanes on I-70.