CDOT Resumes Glenwood Canyon Bridge Work March 16, Narrowing I-70 Traffic

Contractor KSK, LLC returns to Glenwood Canyon this Monday, March 16, when the Colorado Department of Transportation officially restarts the I-70 Glenwood Canyon Bridge Joint Improvement Project for the 2026 season. Concrete barriers will go into both the eastbound and westbound lanes from the jump, compressing traffic into single-lane configurations across a 17-mile stretch running from Glenwood Springs at Mile Point 116 east to Dotsero at Mile Point 133. Drivers should plan for slowdowns and reduced lanes through the canyon for the duration of the 2026 construction season.

Eight bridge joint structures remain on the work list, along with guardrail improvements across the full corridor. The most active areas will be near Hanging Lake Trailhead at Exit 125 and Shoshone Power Plant at Exit 123, two sites that anyone who's wheeled through the canyon on the way to Rifle Falls or Hanging Lake itself will recognize immediately.

Bridge joints are the structural connectors between the roadway surface and the elevated bridge decks that carry I-70 through the canyon. They flex with temperature changes, allowing the concrete and steel to expand and contract through Colorado's wide seasonal swings. When they fail or degrade, the ride gets rough and the underlying structure takes damage. Replacing them is grinding, precise work that requires narrowing the road to reach the joint assemblies.

The 2025 season made real progress. Crews knocked out five eastbound and westbound bridge joints near Bair Ranch Rest Area at Exit 129, along with larger joint structures at Shoshone Power Plant, before shutting down for winter. The eight joints remaining for 2026 represent the project's final push.

CDOT Executive Director Shoshana Lew framed the restart in terms that go beyond pavement. "Crews are returning after the winter shutdown to complete this vital bridge work and ensure I-70 remains a safe, reliable link for all of Colorado," Lew said. "By continuing these improvements, we are protecting a key economic artery that supports businesses and keeps our mountain communities connected. We appreciate the public's patience as we cross the finish line to secure the long-term health of the I-70 Mountain Corridor."

For anyone with a canyon trip on the calendar, the core advice is straightforward: expect single-lane traffic and congestion beginning Monday and build extra time into any drive through the Garfield and Eagle County stretch of I-70 until the season wraps. CDOT has not yet published specific daily closure hours or a projected end date for the 2026 season, so checking current road conditions before heading into the canyon remains the safest move.