Denver, CO
Denver International Airport unveils final phase of Great Hall renovation, lays out future projects
Construction at Denver International Airport’s Great Hall could soon be nearing its end. And while plenty of other renovation projects are now in their early stages, airport officials say those won’t have nearly the same impact as the Great Hall renovation in the Jeppesen Terminal.
DIA CEO Phil Washington unveiled plans and renderings for the final phase of the Great Hall Project on Tuesday, saying the remodeled terminal will showcase “the spirit of Colorado” and better serve passengers.
The airport says work will be completed on time and on budget in 2027, but the cost and timeline for completion have changed several times over the last few years.
The total cost of the project is now expected to be below $1.3 billion, Washington said.
“It’s not like we can close a whole wing of the airport and do this work,” Washington said at a news conference Tuesday. “We have to do it while we’re seeing our numbers increase.”
Renovations on the main terminal began in 2018 and entered phase three in 2021. In 2023, the city auditor released a report warning that the airport risked overspending on the project. The airport hired a new contractor in 2020 after terminating the previous contract.
“There will be very few customer-facing impacts when we finish the Great Hall,” Washington said on Tuesday.
Among those future projects at DIA include the construction of a seventh runway, extending Concourse C West by adding 11 gates, and improvements to Peña Boulevard — the main 11-mile road that connects Interstate 70 from the rest of the city to the airport. That’s currently undergoing an environmental study from federal officials and nothing can move forward locally until that’s complete, Washington said.
Earlier this month, Washington said the congestion on the road is “bad, and it’s getting worse.”
Since the airport opened in 1995, traffic on Peña has increased by 80%, traffic studies show. In 2023, the airport served just under 78 million passengers. That number is projected to rise to 120 million by 2045, airport officials have said. And residential and commercial development along the route has added to the congestion. Traffic times have tripled in recent years according to a study of traffic patterns along the corridor.
Additionally, he wants to build a multi-story 17,500-vehicle rental car facility closer to the airport itself to replace the facilities off Peña Boulevard on 144 acres generally between North Gun Club Road and Jackson Gap, which Washington says will help make travel easier and decrease the airport’s carbon footprint.
Plans are also in place to build more baggage carousels and expand the international arrivals area, as international travel to and from DIA increases.
Finally, Washington says the airport has 14 new train cars that will eventually replace the current train cars that move people within the airport.
“It’s pure chaos when the train goes down,” Washington earlier this month. “I don’t like it.”
Asked on Tuesday whether Washington feared potential funding cuts from the Trump administration, Washington said, “I hope not.”
“The completion phase budget is mostly local funding,” he said. “We are using some federal dollars on things like our baggage modernization but our hope is a major hub in the national airspace that there’s no impact on us for funding.”
He went on to say he has not received any indication from the White House that the federal funding is at risk.
Denver, CO
What drivers will face traveling into mountains near Denver on I-70 amid Floyd Hill bridge building
Drivers heading west from metro Denver into the mountains on Interstate 70 on Monday and Tuesday face overnight closures, and 20-minute stops through Thursday at the base of Floyd Hill, the latest traffic disruptions for bridge building as part of the Colorado Department of Transportation’s $800 million reconstruction of I-70 through Clear Creek Canyon.
The nighttime closures this week, scheduled from 9 p.m. until 5 a.m., are planned around the I-70/U.S. 6 interchange at exit 244 and include on- and off-ramps.
Drivers also should expect to wait at 20-minute stops multiple times per day from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. on I-70 starting Monday, and continuing through Thursday, according to a CDOT notice.
But officials said there would be no planned traffic disruptions during the holidays from Dec. 20 to Jan. 5.
CDOT contractors will be blasting rock in the canyon above eastbound and westbound I-70 between the Veterans Memorial Tunnels and the Homestead Road interchange near Idaho Springs. And drivers may face intermittent traffic stops along the Central City Parkway, County Road 314, U.S. 6, and U.S. 40, CDOT officials said.
CDOT contractors are building a temporary framework to support their upcoming construction of a concrete bridge on I-70. When it’s done, the bridge will carry westbound drivers through a new route that CDOT officials say will be safer and improve traffic flows through the canyon, which long has loomed as a bottleneck.
The rebuilt highway, with an added westbound express toll lane, eventually will carry drivers through a widened canyon on viaducts 115 feet above Clear Creek. This safer route, designed to improve visibility for drivers, is expected to allow speeds of 55 miles per hour in areas now marked 45 mph.
Depending on the weather this week, disruptive construction work may shift to Wednesday and Thursday, CDOT officials said.
The I-70 Floyd Hill Project involves about eight miles of I-70 in the mountainous area between Evergreen and the eastern edge of Idaho Springs. CDOT officials have promised that, as part of the project, they’ll improve the Clear Creek Greenway trail and ensure safer routes for wildlife.
Construction began in July 2023. The project is expected to conclude in 2029.
Drivers learn more by calling CDOT at 720-994-2368 or by texting floydhill to 21000 and signing up for text alerts. CDOT officials also said information about weather, road conditions, and travel impacts is available at COtrip.org.
The Green Bay Packers (9-4-1) dropped from first to second in the NFC North and from the second seed to the seventh seed in the NFC after losing to the Denver Broncos on Sunday.
Significant injuries suffered against the Broncos will mean lasting implications are felt past Sunday. The Packers are also now a long shot to catch the Los Angeles Rams for the No. 1 seed in the NFC, and it’ll take a win next Saturday night in Chicago to retake control in the NFC North.
But the Packers are still in a good spot in terms of making the postseason field, especially after the Detroit Lions, Carolina Panthers and Dallas Cowboys all lost on Sunday.
NFC playoff picture after Week 15
- Los Angeles Rams (11-3, 6-3 vs. NFC)
- Chicago Bears (10-4, 6-3 vs. NFC)
- Philadelphia Eagles (9-5, 7-3 vs. NFC)
- Tampa Bay Buccaneers (7-7, 5-5 vs. NFC)
- Seattle Seahawks (11-3, 6-3 vs. NFC)
- San Francisco 49ers (10-4, 8-2 vs. NFC)
- Green Bay Packers (9-4-1, 7-2-1 vs. NFC)
Others: Lions (8-6), Panthers (7-7), Cowboys (6-7-1)
According to The Athletic’s NFL playoff simulator, the Packers have a 92 percent chance of making the postseason with three weeks to go. They become all but guaranteed of a playoff spot if they can beat the Bears in Chicago in Week 16. In fact, just one win over the final three weeks could be enough for the Packers to get in.
The NFC North winner looks like a coinflip. The Athletic’s model gives the Packers a 48 percent chance of winning the division right now, and it would go up to 82 percent with a win over the Bears on Saturday. Chicago took down the Cleveland Browns with ease in bitter cold temps at Soldier Field on Sunday.
The Athletic’s model also gives the Packers a 98 percent chance of being the No. 2 seed if Matt LaFleur’s team can win out. That will be much easier said than done without Micah Parsons (and potentially Christian Watson) down the stretch.
Two very possibilities for the Packers: Win the NFC North and host the Bears in the NFC Wild Card Round, or get in as the No. 7 seed and go to Chicago to play the Bears in the NFC Wild Card Round. A third round of the rivalry is increasingly possible in January.
Packers remaining games
Nothing easy here. The Bears, Ravens and Vikings all won Sunday. The Bears and Ravens won comfortably; the Vikings upset the Cowboys — who desperately needed to win — in Dallas. The Bears and Ravens are both playing to win division titles. The Vikings are a dangerously talented spoiler team, and winning at U.S. Bank Stadium is never easy. The Athletic’s model gives the Packers roughly a 40 percent chance of making the postseason even with an 0-3 finish. The Lions are the biggest threat to pass the Packers in the event they finish 0-3.
It appears the Packers can clinch a playoff spot next week with a win over the Bears and a Steelers win over the Lions.
It’s time for the AFC’s #1 team to meet the NFC’s #2. Today the Denver Broncos host the Green Bay Packers in a key late-season inter-conference matchup that could have playoff seeding implications for both teams.
In Denver, the Broncos will be trying to hold on to the top spot in the AFC and keep their impressive win streak rolling. Denver has won ten straight games, some of them in fairly ridiculous fashion, but they sit at 11-2, sharing the top record in the NFL with the New England Patriots, who are just behind them in the playoff picture based on conference record.
The Packers, meanwhile, want to hold on to the lead in the NFC North before they have their rematch with the Chicago Bears next Saturday night. Green Bay sits behind only the Los Angeles Rams in the playoff race in the NFC, and they want to return to the Central time zone with that lead intact.
Join us here at Acme Packing Company to discuss today’s game, and Go Pack Go!
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