In the Colorado city of Aurora, a transformative road project is poised to improve access for freight commerce, ease congestion, improve safety, and drive job creation, while enhancing support of the rapidly expanding Colorado Aerotropolis economic hub. The I-70 Picadilly Interchange Project will construct a new diverging diamond interchange on I-70 at Picadilly Road (which will be one of only a handful of its kind in the state), facilitating north-south connectivity on Picadilly Road and providing critical local access to I-70 for the Aerotropolis development.
Picadilly Road is a vital corridor for accessing the Denver International Airport and the Aerotropolis, which expects to see 74,000 new jobs by 2040. The Picadilly Road corridor serves multiple freight distributors and logistics hubs and has been identified as a key regional travel corridor.
Currently, there is limited access to I-70 in this area, with Picadilly Road stopping short north and south of I-70 with no connection to this large employment area. The existing gap in the arterial roadway grid in the area has resulted in severe congestion on Tower and Gun Club roads, which run parallel to Picadilly Road to the west and east, respectively.
The I-70 Picadilly Interchange Project, owned by the City of Aurora, will expand access to I-70 by extending Picadilly Road between Colfax Avenue and Smith Road via the new interchange, linking 4 new miles of roadway. The new interchange is designed to improve safety, alleviate congestion, and connect people and commerce to job centers, new neighborhoods, and the nation's third busiest airport. Improved north-south connectivity will unlock a roadway network and make Picadilly Road a key arterial point for the region.
The interchange will serve a significant Opportunity Zone that hosts prime commercial, logistics, distribution, and residential development areas. It will also benefit residents of rural communities along I-70 in eastern Colorado, and civilian and military users of Buckley Space Force Base, the second largest employment center in Aurora, which is located within 3 miles of the project.
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Components of the new interchange, which will provide a full-access connection at I-70, allowing traffic to fully connect to the north and south side of Picadilly Road, include:
- Elimination of the substandard Colfax/I-70 interchange
- Construction of a new Diverging Diamond Interchange (DDI)
- Installation of additional auxiliary lanes along I-70 between the new interchange and Tower Road
- Installation of a new Colfax and Picadilly signalized intersection to direct traffic to the new DDI
- Installation of Picadilly Road, an arterial roadway between Colfax and Smith Road
- Installation of fiber optic cable for traffic signal interconnections
- Safety innovations such as advanced signaling systems, wider lanes, improved lighting, and a focused central corridor specifically designed for foot and pedal traffic Lawrence Construction was awarded the design-build contract for the I-70 Picadilly Interchange Project; its design partner is RS&H Inc. The City of Aurora team includes Benesch Engineering; RockSol Consulting Group; Ground Engineering; and HDR (design and project oversight assistance). The project’s total cost is $94.8 million. Various federal, state, and local funding sources are funding the project.
- Five Komatsu WA250 Loaders and three Komatsu PC390 Excavators
- John Deere 310SL Loader and two John Deere 9320 Tractors with disc
- Caterpillar AP1055E Paver; CB16 Steel Drum Roller; 289D Skid Steer; 950 Loader; D6R and D6T Dozers; two 140H Graders; 623G and 633D Scrapers; and two 627G Scrapers
- Two Genie manlifts
- JLG 1255 Forklift
- Kobelco CK1100G Crane
- Grove RT700E Crane
- Soilmec SR-30 Drill
- Vermeer RTX450 Tractor Trencher
- Bobcat mini excavator
- Volvo EC350E Excavator
- Two 2,500-gallon water trucks
- Owner: City of Aurora, Colorado
- Design-Build Contractor: Lawrence Construction
- Designer: RS&H Inc.
- Other Key Contractors: Benesch Engineering; RockSol Consulting Group; Ground Engineering; HDR
- Subcontractors:A-Core of Colorado; Anaya Concrete Corp.; Bemas Construction Inc.; Black Iron Steel LLC; Brundage Bone Concrete Pumping Inc.; Double J Logistics LLC; Ideal Fencing Corp.; Martin Marietta Materials Inc.; Nelson Pipeline Constructors Inc.; 1UP; Rocky Mountain Signing; Sturgeon Electric Company Inc.; Taylor's Landscaping LLC; Villalobos; West Drilling LLC Photos courtesy of City of Aurora, Colorado, and Benesch Engineering
The city received its full request for funding from the Federal Highway Administration and the maximum amount permitted per project under the BUILD multimodal surface transportation grant program. The I-70 Picadilly Interchange Project is one of six projects in the entire country to receive this amount.
Construction on the interchange project began in January 2024. Substantial completion of the project is anticipated for the fourth quarter of 2025, with final completion anticipated for the first quarter of 2026.
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Brad Richardson, Senior Engineer, City of Aurora Public Works Department, outlined the status of the project and the work currently underway.
“Earthwork was completed in November 2024,” he said. “The girder construction is expected to be completed in April 2025, with the bridge deck pour anticipated for May 2025. Crews are currently working on the bridge abutment walls and the off-ramp from E-470. Storm line construction and utility relocation is underway throughout the project, as is casting of the girders and bridge deck panels, and drilling and epoxying steel in the median in preparation for concrete pavement replacement.”
An extensive range of equipment is at work on the project, including:
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Richardson pointed out that the project team has worked with individual utility owners from the start of the project to help reduce any utility conflicts. Regarding construction challenges, he said, “Seasonal weather fluctuations in Colorado, particularly during the winter season, sometimes limits work activities. Also, the project team continues to work together to eliminate any issues related to long lead items that can sometimes strain the schedule.”
A diverging diamond interchange gives vehicles direct access to freeway ramps without waiting for a signal and eliminates left turns against oncoming traffic, making it safer for drivers because there are fewer potential conflict points. On the I-70 Picadilly project, the innovative DDI interchange design is replacing a partial (it does not have a westbound on-ramp) and substandard interchange at Colfax Avenue.
“The DDI concept simplifies the interaction of turn movements at interchange ramp terminals, by crossing the arterial through movements at the terminals,” Richardson said. “As a result, left turn crossing conflicts are replaced with merge and diverge movements, and left turn signal phases are removed from the ramp terminals.
“The new DDI will improve safety for traffic merging on and off the interstate. For instance, the eastbound I-70 to Colfax Avenue loop exit ramp will be replaced with a traditional exit ramp at the I-70 Picadilly interchange that will feed into the DDI with straight ramps to eliminate the existing high-speed curving maneuver to exit the freeway.”
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The DDI will feature enhanced safety measures that reduce risks to drivers, pedestrians, and bicyclists, including advanced signaling systems; wider lanes; improved lighting; and a new bicycle and pedestrian path through the DDI. This will provide safer and more accessible infrastructure for the northeast metro area and will improve the safety and quality of life for non-motorized users.
The area near Denver International Airport is rapidly developing and is the heart of a planned Colorado Aerotropolis — a collaborative effort to develop the area surrounding the airport into a residential, commercial, industrial, and logistics community.
An aerotropolis is a dynamic urban development plan in which the layout, infrastructure, and economy are centered around an airport. The 21,000-acre Colorado Aerotropolis located south of the world’s sixth busiest airport represents the future of Aurora, the growing northeast metro Denver region, and the intermountain west.
The Colorado Aerotropolis Visioning Study projects this area to be a major global economic hub, and it will be served by market sectors like energy, bioscience, aerospace, health care, logistics/distribution, and professional and technical services.
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“The new interchange will be part of the extended transportation network that will serve the aerotropolis and its associated development, and will act as a catalyst to bring additional private and public capital investment in infrastructure and development,” Richardson said. “Multiple logistic and distribution centers have been approved or have been built in the vicinity of the project, and these centers require ready access to roadways, air facilities, and rail to move freight.
“The region is expected to experience many additional benefits from the I-70 Picadilly Interchange Project, including reduction of emissions, freight time, and hauling costs; minimized out-of-direction travel for area residents and businesses; a savings of up to $132 million in vehicle-operating and travel time; and reduced congestion and bottlenecks.”
