The Town of Vail has a dream like few others. The massive project to build a tunnel through Vail Mountain in order to cover up I-70 through the area has been in the town’s master plan for years, and it’s still earning a fair amount of consideration.
The plan to cover up I-70 comes with a large number of benefits including noise reduction, a boost in the aesthetic character of the town, increase in quality of life, safety, and connectivity, and a decrease in pollution through the town. The major considerations, of course, including construction impact, cost, hazardous materials, and community support.
According to the town’s master plan, two major concepts were proposed in 2023. One would include the full cut and cover or tunneling of I-70 through Vail and the other would include just a partial cut and cover. The full cover or tunnel would likely cost $7.6 billion, while the partial would be closer to $1.9 billion.
Under the partial cut and cover plan, the entire section of covered highway would be used for high density development, allowing for around a 20% increase in residential/commercial units while funding 25% of the project through land sales. Under the full cut and cover or tunnel option, three different uses for the land have been proposed.
One idea would be to use the new land where the highway was once located as open space, adding 282 acres of space to the town. That option doesn’t recoup any of the costs associated with the project, though. Another option is using the land for a mix of open space, low density, and high density development, adding a 45% increase in residential/commercial units to the town while recouping 15% of the project cost through land sales.
The final concept would be to use the new land entirely for high density development, causing an 85% increase in residential and commercial units to the area while recouping 30% of the costs associated with the project through land sales.
The town acknowledges that they must consider whether or not this project is worth pursuing as a next step, establishing key objectives before moving forward. If they decide to push on, they would need to collaborate with other stakeholders to identify the vision and goals for the project and the town, then develop a more detailed analysis for the project before pursuing a a feasibility study.