The Colorado Department of Transportation recently celebrated an exciting project milestone on the Interstate 70 Noise Wall Replacement Project in the City of Denver, as the first of the new noise wall panels are officially in place along the north side of I-70 between Tennyson Street and Lowell Boulevard. CDOT Executive Director Shoshana Lew and the I-70 Noise Wall project team were joined by Congressman Ed Perlmutter, Denver Mayor Michael B. Hancock, and Denver City Councilwoman Amanda Sandoval for the occasion.
This phase of the project is replacing the significantly deteriorated timber noise walls on both sides of I-70 between Tennyson and Lowell, which are nearly 50 years old, with a series of new precast concrete wall panels. Kraemer North America is the contractor for this phase of work. The project will greatly improve the lifespan of the noise walls and the overall look of the highway in this area, and it will continue noise reduction by blocking the direct travel of sound waves from the highway to the adjacent homes.
“This project will improve safety as we won’t be dealing with the falling timber fences, but it will also provide quality of life benefits for the people who live nearby with a better and more durable barrier from the highway noise and emissions along this busy stretch of I-70,” said CDOT Executive Director Shoshana Lew. “That’s why this project matters. The neighbors living close to I-70 have waited a long time for these improvements and we’re excited to be in construction of this first phase of the project.”
“So much traffic goes through this section of I-70, and this project is going to improve both the sight line of I-70 and the sound barrier for these neighborhoods,” said Congressman Ed Perlmutter. “The fact that this is a focus of the local government, the state government, and the federal government is something I think all of us should be proud of.”
“There are many pieces that go into making the transportation infrastructure in our city and region work the best that it can – from the surface road down to the sound walls,” said Denver Mayor Michael B. Hancock. “Sound walls are critical infrastructure just like all the other pieces of our transportation system, because they mitigate the noise caused by the roadway for those living along it, improve quality of life and make our infrastructure stronger and more resilient.”
“As a lifelong resident of the Northside, I can speak firsthand to the effects of living in an area that is bisected by highways. After years of advocating for updates to the sound walls, I am thrilled to celebrate the groundbreaking of this project that will improve the quality of life for my community,” said Denver District 1 City Councilwoman Amanda Sandoval. “Thank you to everyone who made this project possible – I am greatly appreciative.”
Replacing the timber noise walls along I-70 between Pecos Street and I-76 is a high priority for CDOT and part of the Department’s 10-year plan. In early 2021, CDOT received federal stimulus funds for transportation projects across the state, which stemmed from the $900 billion COVID relief package passed and signed into law in Washington in late 2020.
CDOT wasted no time putting those funds to work thanks to the 10-year plan list of shovel ready transportation projects that could immediately benefit residents of Colorado. From that stimulus funding, $9.7 million was allocated toward the I-70 Noise Wall Replacement project. CDOT quickly assembled an in-house design team to get this first phase of the project between Tennyson Street and Lowell Boulevard to the point of construction within a year of the identified funding. In mid-2021, CDOT secured approved funding through SB-260 for the remaining I-70 noise walls known as “Phase 2”. At this time, design for Phase 2 is ongoing into early 2023, with construction expected to begin once design is complete.
Source: CDOT
