Dowd Canyon Feasibility Study
Eagle County, Colorado

JFSA provided professional services to CDOT Region 3 in the preparation of a feasibility study addressing possible improvements of the stretch of I-70 from West Vail to Eagle-Vail. This 3.5-mile canyon is one of the oldest sections of I-70 and has experienced more than its normal share of accidents and traffic congestion. While a rural stretch of interstate, it exhibits traffic congestion and high accident rates due to substandard alignment, frequent roadway icing and inadequate interchange ramps. JFSA investigated various alternatives for increasing the capacity and safety of the highway. These include various realignments involving numerous large bridges, tunnels and high retaining walls. The study was conducted in two phases, the first of which identified various possible alignment concepts and presented initial cost estimates. The second phase concentrated mainly on geotechnical aspects of the different alternative alignment types and involved considerable drilling to evaluate the extent of geo-hazards and their possible mitigation techniques for construction in several major landslide zones. This information was used to refine certain alignments and to get a better indication of what construction costs might be.

Reference: CDOT Region 3, Keith Powers, 970.328.6385