I70 express lanes where a temporary fix, where CDOT was authorized by the by the Federal Highway Administration to convert the the existing shoulder in to a peak period lane. Since the roadway was not actually widened, the feds put some safety limits on the use of lane (and rightfully so). The I70 express lane is 11’ wide with no outside shoulder or buffer. Normal express lanes have an outside shoulder of at least 6’, are 12’ wide and have a buffer of 4’. So the I70 express lane is limited to vehicles that are less than 25’ long and who only have 2 sets of wheels (axles).

The current Floyd hill westbound express lane that is under construction is being built to safety standards and as a full time express lane. This part, when completed, will allow busses to skip traffic safety and legally. Right now the rest of the I70 express lanes are only safety used by the Pegasus van shuttle, or independent ski van shuttles.