Access Highland


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Frequently Asked Questions

Where can I get more information about the project?

Click here to visit the project website.
Learn more here about Context Sensitive Solutions (CSS).
Click here to review stakeholder meeting minutes.

What was the scope of the project?

The Access Highland study focused on improving Interstate 70 access for the Highland region. This could have involved modifying existing interchanges or adding a new interchange. Location and details of the project design would be determined during the public involvement process consistent with IDOT’s Context Sensitive Solutions (CSS) guidelines and the engineering and environmental study portion of the project.

Projects that propose revisions to Interstate access require an Access Justification Study Report (AJR) which is submitted for approval to the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA). Among the items included in the report are the need for the access revision; reasonable alternatives with one recommended alternative; operational traffic, safety and crash analyses; adjacent land use and coordination with the access point; impact to the transportation network; compatibility with the regional transportation plans; and the environmental/social impacts of the access change.

The Access Justification Report presented by the department in the fall of 2012 was not approved. Because the recommended alternative for the Access Highland project was not approved by the FHWA and due to lack of public support for other alternative improvements presented to the public as part of the engineering and environmental study, this study and Access Highland Project has been suspended by the department.

Why was there a need for the project?

Representatives from Highland and other interested people in the region had expressed a need for more direct access from their communities to I-70. Better access would have provided a more direct connection for commuters, emergency response, shoppers and visitors. The less direct routes from I-70 to Highland include Route 143 from exit 24 and Route 40 from exit 30. The less direct routes to Grantfork include a route through Marine along Pocahontas Road or via county/local roads from the Route 40 interchange.

The first phase of the project was to identify the need and evaluate improvements to I-70 access that would improve the safety and efficiency of traffic movement through the area. The improvements were generated using input from the residents, business owners and transportation system users (stakeholders) in the project study area.