GLENWOOD CANYON 12 YEARS LATER

Almost 12 years have passed since the Colorado Department of Transportation completed work on the Glenwood Canyon project, a 20-km-long network of viaducts, bridges, and tunnels constructed through an extraordinarily narrow, environmentally sensitive gorge in Western Colorado. First opened to traffic on October 14, 1992, the project not only connected the final leg of Interstate 70, but also symbolized the completion of the original U.S. interstate highway system. Because the true measurement of a project's success comes with reevaluation of its impact over time, this article aims to determine whether the Glenwood Canyon project has indeed lived up to its original goals of preserving the environment, improving safety, and enhancing mobility.