On the cusp of the Thanksgiving weekend, drivers heading to the high country have something to be thankful for: A major construction project on West Vail Pass is wrapping up for the winter season.

The Colorado Department of Transportation announced the hiatus for the Interstate 70 West Vail Pass Auxiliary Lanes project Thursday morning. Work stops Nov. 22 but crews will return in the spring.

The $300 million project aims to improve safety and traffic flow in both directions on I-70 at West Vail Pass. One major improvement coming next year is a dedicated eastbound lane for slow moving vehicles climbing Vail Pass.

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This year, crews completed a runaway truck ramp for the westbound lanes, replaced the westbound bridge over Polk Creek and made improvements to utilities and replaced fiber optic cables.

While construction is halted, drivers can expect I-70 to return to its normal configuration with two travel lanes in either direction. There are no planned lane closures to “avoid interfering with winter travel, snow removal and maintenance operations,” according to CDOT.

“We know how important Vail Pass is operationally and economically for our mountain communities, which is why these safety improvements are so meaningful for the overall I-70 corridor,” said Jason Smith, CDOT Northwest Regional Director. “The scale of this project and high-alpine weather requires multiple construction seasons. Each year the project completes new improvements that will help reduce crashes on West Vail Pass.”

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So far, CDOT has resurfaced the eastbound lanes between mile markers 179 and 185, repairing seasonal damage. The department, in a press release, also highlighted paving detour lanes, wall work and mass excavation, all to prepare the highway for future traffic shifts.

In the spring, CDOT crews will complete work on the eastbound Polk Creek bridge, mirroring the work completed this year on the westbound side. Crews will build six wildlife underpasses and add a new avalanche mitigation system at mile marker 186.

Further information is available online at a dedicated project webpage.