Road Widening Projects

People choose to take E-470 because it provides a quick, safe, and reliable commute. To maintain this level of service, E-470 must build more capacity now to stay ahead of population growth coming to the region to keep people moving in the east Denver metro area. Since 2016, E-470 has been working to build more capacity on its 47-mile roadway and has also built more than 12.5 miles of the High Plains Trail through its road widening projects.

In fall 2022, E-470 began construction on the next phase of road widening to add a third travel lane in each direction from I-70 to 104^th Avenue to help move more people along this 11-mile stretch and stay ahead of population growth in the area. The project also includes extensions of the High Plains Trail, which runs adjacent to the roadway. A new concrete multi-use path will be built from 26^th to 64^th Avenues in Aurora and from 88^th to 104^th Avenues in Commerce City to provide better connections to other trails in the region for people on bikes and on foot. The goal is to eventually connect the High Plains Trail to Pena Boulevard and continue extending it further north.

Additional Travel Enhancements:

• New interchanges at 38^th Avenue and at 48^th Avenue
• Expanding the existing interchange at 64^th Avenue and widening the bridge over E-470 as new development moves toward the airport, just east of the Gaylord Rockies Resort and Convention Center
• Building a collector road at the E-470 northbound interchange with Pena Boulevard (like the southbound Pena interchange), which will enhance safety by separating traffic on the interchange from mainline through traffic.
• New deer fencing to protect wildlife and reduce vehicle-wildlife collisions on the roadway.
• Freshly paved asphalt surface to provide a smoother ride

While construction is underway, concrete barriers will be in place throughout the work zone. People should expect intermittent single travel lane closures on weekdays between 9 a.m. and 3 p.m. as well as during overnight hours between 7 p.m. and 5 a.m. Slower speeds will also be advised. E-470 message boards will alert people about the work in advance. The public’s patience and cooperation are greatly appreciated. All work is weather dependent and subject to change.

Crews will work in phases, beginning at the southern end of E-470 from I-70 to north of Pena Boulevard. As the project gets underway, E-470 will notify its customers in advance about potential travel impacts. The project is anticipated to be complete by 2025.

Want to be the first to know about potential travel impacts and project milestones? Click here to join our project updates email list.

Project Materials

• Project Overview | Spanish
• Frequently Asked Questions | Spanish
• Project Map | Spanish
• High Plains Trail Overview | Spanish
• Project Renderings
• Construction Zone

Improving Connectivity

One of the largest activities within the E-470 Road Widening and Trail Expansion Project is the addition of two new interchanges at 38th and 48th Avenues.

Currently, only two ramps on the northbound side at 38th Avenue give the Aurora Highlands – a 12,500 homes, 4,000-acre master planned community – access to E-470 and vice versa. Construction on the 38th Avenue interchange will add new ramps in each direction and an additional bridge over E-470. The existing 48th Avenue bridge over E-470 will be widened and ramps will be added in each direction. These two interchanges will also improve connectivity and traffic flow to the newly developed communities in Green Valley Ranch, such as High Point and the Windler Homestead. In addition, the existing E-470 Toll Plaza will be relocated about a half a mile south of its current location to make room for the 38th Avenue interchange.

Due to the extent of work needed to construct both the new 38th Avenue bridge and the tolling gantry over E-470, there will be a few travel impacts for customers in addition to standard project lane closures. Upcoming closures and detours will be listed below. All work is weather dependent and subject to change. Customers will also be notified of the impacts via E-470 social media and the Road Widening Project email list. You can sign up for the list by clicking here.

Upcoming Travel Impacts

Due to weather impacts, girder installation will continue through Saturday, June 3. Overnight rolling closures on E-470 will take place from 7:00 p.m. to 6:00 a.m. Tuesday, May 30, through Saturday, June 3, between Peña Boulevard and Jewel Avenue. The closures will be on the northbound side of E-470 May 30, 31, and June 1; and on the southbound side June 1-3. Drivers can expect around 30-minute delays.

During the overnight work, the E-470 northbound right lane will be closed between 26th and 38th Avenues and the southbound right lane will be closed between 48th and 26th Avenues. Colorado State Patrol Troopers will escort traffic through the work zone at very low speeds between rolling closures. Tolls will be waived at the tolling gantry at 38th Avenue (Toll Plaza C between I-70 and the existing 56th Avenue interchange) from 7:00 p.m. to 6:00 a.m. each night.

Additionally, the northbound E-470 off-ramp to 38th Avenue will be closed from 7:00 p.m. to 6:00 a.m. May 30, 31, and June 1. Aurora Highlands residents traveling north on E-470 will exit at 56th Avenue and follow detour signs west to Picadilly Road and then south to 26th Avenue to access the neighborhood.

Previous Roadway and Trail Improvements

In 2021, the E-470 Public Highway Authority added a third travel lane in each direction from Quincy Avenue to I-70 and extended the High Plains Trail by six miles. Additionally, the project expanded bridges, installed new entrance/exit ramps, upgraded traffic signals, improved drainage for stormwater runoff, and paved the roadway with fresh asphalt to provide a smoother ride.

Fun Facts:

• More than 7,200 cubic yards of structural concrete was poured.
• 180,000 tons of asphalt was rolled out
• 15 miles of new or reset wildlife fencing was installed along the roadway to reduce vehicle-wildlife crashes on the roadway
• 800,000 cubic yards of earthwork was completed.

The project spanned over two years for a total cost of $94.4 million, which was under budget and funded from Authority capital reserves as planned. Watch the video below to learn more!