Federal, state and local officials on Sept. 15 broke ground on Denver’s Interstate 70/Central Park Boulevard Interchange, partially funded through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act.

The $50 million project near Stapleton relies on $12 million from the Recovery Act. The remainder of the project will be funded by $30 million from The Better Denver Bond Program and other federal sources.

As Colorado’s largest highway Recovery Act investment, the Central Park Boulevard Interchange includes a new bridge that crosses I-70 and will provide direct access between the growing Stapleton area and I-70 and I-270.

When completed, the new Central Park Boulevard Interchange is expected to serve up to 18,000 daily drivers – a figure which is expected to nearly double by 2035. Currently, an estimated 228,000 daily drivers rely on I-70, a figure that is estimated to climb to 330,000 over the same period.