The Colorado Department of Transportation’s (CDOT) Bridge Enterprise (BE) and the High Performance Transportation Enterprise (HPTE) announced the approval of the much anticipated Project Agreement for the Central 70 Project with selected developer Kiewit Meridiam Partners.  The Central 70 Project involves the reconstruction of a 10-mile stretch of I-70 east of downtown Denver, the addition of one new Express Lane in each direction, the removal of the aging 53-year old viaduct, the lowering of the interstate between Brighton and Colorado Boulevards, and placement of a 4-acre cover to be a public park and school playground over a portion of the lowered interstate.

The milestone of contract approval has resulted in commercial close for the project.  It also signals the start of the next stage of this project which will result in financial close.  Construction is then slated to begin in 2018 and take approximately four years to complete.

The Central 70 Project was procured using an innovative design-build-finance-operate maintain (DBFOM) public-private partnership (P3) model.  Our firm represents CDOT, HPTE, and the BE both as P3 procurement co-counsel and as environmental/litigation counsel.  As part of this project, our attorneys have structured the procurement documents and the associated construction project documents required for completion of the largest infrastructure development project in CDOT’s history.  In addition, we have addressed judicial and administrative complaints under the National Environmental Policy Act, Section 4(f) of the Department of Transportation Act, Transportation Conformity under the Clean Air Act, and Title VI of the Civil Rights Act.