An environmental assessment of a potentially $105 million project to widen one or both bores of the Twin Tunnels just east of Idaho Springs is now in the early stages, following the work of a “visioning task force” earlier this year.
Colorado Department of Transportation officials said if all goes smoothly crews could start work on the project as early as spring or summer 2013.
“Taxpayers want to see something done,” CDOT mountain corridor manager Jim Bemelen said. “We've been studying a long time.”
A team of experts convened in February to determine possible solutions for the Twin Tunnels recommended an estimated $55 million plan to widen the eastbound bore from two to three lanes.
But with extra money potentially available, some CDOT officials are hoping to double the project's cost and scope to widen both tunnels to three lanes.
“If we're out there anyway, we've got the tunneling expert out there, we've got a detour set up … (we) might want to consider adding the westbound bore,” Bemelen said of the suggestion made to the transportation commission that will ultimately decide on the scope of the project.
