How to Build a Road
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Writing by Sam Denby and Tristan Purdy
Editing by Alexander Williard
Animation led by Josh Sherrington
Sound by Graham Haerther
Thumbnail by Simon Buckmaster
References
[1] www.fs.usda.gov/Internet/FSE_...
[2] www.codot.gov/programs/enviro...
[3] play.google.com/books/reader?...
[4] www.fs.usda.gov/Internet/FSE_...
[5] www.theatlantic.com/ideas/arc...
[6] fdotwww.blob.core.windows.net...
[7] flh.fhwa.dot.gov/resources/de...
[8] www.codot.gov/projects/i70wes...
The amount of research needed to summarize the thought process of forgotten civil engineers from decades ago is truly impressive.
I think it's really really easy, with all the issues we're facing as mankind and states, to forget what marvels of enginiering, sociology and planning our modern society is. Highways, skylanes, modern building, electrical or water infrastructure are all incredebly mundane things for us that are incredible feats of planning & design if you look closer that would be called miracles by people just one or two-hundred years ago. We can't be constantly in awe, and we should strive to adress the issues of our time but sometimes it's good to remember what amazing feats our modern society is too.
I think some of the modern tunneling techniques today would not disrupt wildlife in that spot.
Yes, we should thank the people at Mead & Hunt who already did that research and published a 76-page history on the topic in 2019, entitled "Vail Pass Segment of Interstate Highway 70" and freely available online. As far as I can tell, this document serves as the source for almost all of the historical narrative presented in this video, as well as many of the figures. It's in their works cited in the description. I like Wendover Productions a lot, but their talent mostly comes from how they present information in a digestible manner with helpful visuals, a well as their choice of esoteric but fascinating topics. And of course it would be impossible to do extensive and original research for their videos given the rate at which they publish them. I think their research skills come more from taking aspects of a narrative and elaborating on the logistics, for example using a Florida study to understand the issues in Colorado. Obviously this isn't hard to find, government studies are extremely easy to find and they cover every aspect of infrastructure.
@@loldoctorwell not every country has that or even do the study in the first place.
Nope. This has been very well document. I have five books on my shelf of this subject alone. Your lack of understanding does not increase the complexity of the world around you.
Instructions unclear, built a runway instead.
same here
Probasbly going to be next episode lol
@@Seedknowing how much Sam from HAI loves planes, no doubt he will make a video about runways
WHO TF ARE YOU
you're probably waiting for someone to buy your channel😂
I was a hazmat driver who had to go over a lot of those passes every night, no matter what the weather was. Some of the scariest shit in the world. The only time we were allowed through Eisenhower tunnel was when Loveland pass was just impassable and we would have to wait, CDOT would close the tunnel both directions and escort all hazmat trucks through without any cars in the tunnel. Pretty crazy.
Wow! Thank you for your service and patience!
Yea, they still do that. They have a traffic light up there now. I have to wait on your guys every winter when the pass is closed. Love this rocky mountain ice skating!
@@mikerheynolds2193 And the worst part of those closures is when it's actively snowing because the lack of consistent traffic allows the road on either side of the tunnel to ice over more easily, making it one hell of an ice rink for the cars once they re-open it. Some of the most stressful road driving I've ever done in the US!
You r the man. My first week driving a semi by myself my company decided that the best trip for me to take was to L A and then back via I 70. Never again
If you look into the Mont Blanc Tunnel fire from 1999, you'll know why they take those precautions
The crazy part is, I-70 is considered a safer route in winter than I-80 up in Wyoming. I-80 in Wyoming had less engineering challenges, but is legendary for horrifically bad weather in winter and the section between Laramie and Rock Springs is the windiest region in the entire US excluding some high mountain summits. Hurricane force winds are a very regular occurrence in southern Wyoming. Combine that with heavy snowfall, ice, and regular below zero temps in the winter and its a frozen hell on earth.
This is why we a 25 + Veteran driver I typically chose I40 or I10 routes in the winter
sounds fun
That stretch of I80 between laramie and cheyenne is nicknamed the Snow Minh trail.
I didn't anticipate this driving i80 in the winter once. blindling blizzard and winds I had never experienced before. I was white knuckles for 6+ hours straight. I was in the right lane with my hazards on and semis were outpacing me by what felt like 20 mph hahaha
@@OwenHehif you have to drive with your flashers on pull over.
I grew up taking this highway, and I was always amazed by the fact that the roadway was raised on supports for miles in such a remote canyon, it felt like driving in a video game.
Same, but my parents never let me drive as a child ☹
@@ChemEDan that’s the thing about being a child 💀
they had to drop those supports in by airlifting them with helicopters
Should check out the "Interstate" roads in Hawaii. They are built the same way with several mile stretches of road being elevated above the landscape by massive concrete pillars.
As a Highway engineer practicing in mountainous areas of the East Africa Rift Valley, I appreciate the accurate research you have done to show the amount of work that goes into designing & constructing a highway project in a challenging topography. It's amazing to see how the design standards have evolved through the years. Even though we use also use AASHTO to supplement our design, we are forced to use 8% superelevation because we couldn't be certain that the traffic would actually adhere to the design speed due to the cultural speeding in East Africa.
I never considered that cultural speeding would be a factor that engineers have to consider. In America, we take a lot for granted about our road system.
I suspect that snow/ice less of a factor in the East Africa Rift area compared to the rocky mountains. You aren't as worried about stopped or slow cars losing side traction and sliding off the road.
I have never heard of the term "Cultural Speeding" Are there any other areas of the world that have that problem?
@@MarkPemble I suppose it has to do with the madness that is driving in 3rd world countries in general
@@MarkPemble Many; Italy, Russia, Germany etc...If you drive in those place you'd see...MANIACS!
The story of I-70 through Utah is another engineering marvel in an of itself, not because of the terrain, but because of how absolutely remote it is. For example, there is a stretch of interstate almost 100 miles long with absolutely no services (food and gas). The route follows an old railroad corridor which the Union Pacific railroad surveyed, but never used because of how remote it was. When the first highway surveyors showed up in the area to plan the route of the new interstate, the local ranchers thought they were absolutely nuts to build a road through the area.
Declined a second date with a girl I was very attracted to because she told me that she once was driving west while high and took that stretch without getting gas first. She had her dog in the car and there are SO MANY signs, I just couldn’t handle how dangerously irresponsible that is.
@@middlemusedid she run out of gas? Also, people make mistakes and grow from them. Your loss
@@middlemuseWas the dog alright??
@@jaggerpirtle3766 "people make mistakes" My man getting high then driving into the middle of nowhere with your dog is not just irresponsible, but suicidal. He wasn't losing anything.
I regularly drive through an area where the sign says "NEXT SERVICES 130 MILES - NO FUEL FOR THE NEXT 145 MILES" From Whites City NM to El Paso on 62/180......that is a bit of a shock when you think about it for the first time you pass that sign. The road is good and the sights are pretty awesome....but remote??? Yeah.....oh yeah.
This is why I’m a civil engineer. I remember one of my professors at Colorado State telling me about the Red Buffalo Pass alternative. Every time I take Vail Pass now, I think about it, and how much different the landscape of travel across the western slope is because of it.
Would Red Buffalo Pass be worse in winter or better? We lived in GJ for 7 years and would travel over to Denver every Thanksgiving and, like clockwork, the road conditions were always icy. I literally had PTSD after I had an accident on ice in Oregon before moving there so that was always fun… but I always wondered if the alternative was better.
As both a pilot and a Coloradan, this channel is the best. Great content, as always!
Is it Coloradan or Coloridian? Or Coloradinikan?
Yeah, I immediately recognized I-70 (Glenwood Canyon area?) at the beginning.
@@PrayedForYou colonoscopy
You live in Pilot? Thats cool, And having Colorado as your job is pretty cool too
@@PrayedForYouColoradan
My grandfather drove the 1940s highways through this entire region from Denver and Pueblo to Salt Lake. He remembers driving home in a blizzard, getting out, walking 20 feet or so to see where the road went, getting back in, driving that stretch, repeating the process for hours until he got to a town. That story he told freely. Other stories I had to press him to tell as much as he would and I still get chills. America's highways are soaked in red, there's just no way to avoid the fact. I'm still very proud to be a 5th generation native of Colorado and I hope I get to stay forever. Thank you @Wendoverproductions for such a deep dive into the Rockies roads. Come visit and enjoy them this fall and winter! Fly into Denver or Eagle and you're sure to have a great time!
As a truck driver (now local in Indiana), I can testify that the highway are "soaked in red", to this day. I have seen chilling things myself, so I can only imagine what driving was like for your grandfather, back then! With the way Colorado seems to be changing, from the perspective of a Hoosier that dreams/dreamed of moving to Colorado once, I wish you the best in staying there forever. Too many people moving there, and trying to make it into something it's not, at least that's what I hear. Hold to what you got, while you can. Oh, and hopefully people will stop stealing all of y'all's water!!
May I ask what you mean by soaked in red? Like the amount of people who died before there was a solution? And I’m a proud Colorado native, we’re so blessed to live in this beautiful state
As a rookie driver, I drove through i70 in a 18 wheeler. I didn't know. Almost killed me and my co-driver. Most beautiful landscape I've ever seen. This video brought back some frightening memories. Thanxs
The highway through Vail Pass is impressive, but really the most expensive and difficult section to build was through Glenwood Canyon. That section of road is essentially all bridges and tunnels.
and rolled over super truckers at the eastbound entrance. Seen the scars in that curve lately? Last winter it seemed like every week there was one rolled over between there and No Name. Boy, I can't wait to see what this winters holds!
Yeah, the constraint on construction through there was "don't touch anything." They had to keep track of the plants that would be impacted and move them as little possible. And it's a stunning drive, the way the freeway rises and falls and soars around and through the canyon.
My mom had to pass through Glenwood Canyon while that stretch was under construction WHILE SHE WAS IN LABOR. I wasn’t there but it sounds like it was a pretty traumatic day.
@middlemuse I remember going through the construction as a kid. It was one way so they'd halt a whole side of the freeway for 45 minutes while the other direction came through then switch. I remember crossing the freeway and going down to the Colorado River and playing for half an hour when we would drive from Denver to Salt Lake.
The Grizzly creek fire and subsequent mudslides have made the canyon a shitshow in the past few years too.
I 70 through the Rockies is cool road to drive. Terrifying at times, but still incredible that a highway of that size was built through the mountains
the only time its terrifying is when you cant see your hood because of the snow falling. otherwise...its ok.
@@LeelssDeltadifferent tolerances
@@LeelssDelta I was about to suggest not visiting in winter, especially without previous winter driving experience.
I drove it yesterday. The traffic is the scary part to me.
I-70's a piece-o-cake. Do some of the two-lane state highways across the Rockies. Some will provide decent brown-pants moments, lol...
I-70 through Glenwood Canon is an engineering marvel and possibly the most scenic stretch of interstate in the country. I never get tired of driving though there.
As a child, my family lived in Colorado but my grandparents lived in Utah. To visit them we either had to drive up through Wyoming on I-80 or take the I-70 route. Going through Colorado was our favorite as it was way more beautiful and fascinating even if it was a few hours longer, but after a couple of Christmas trips through terrible conditions we decided to only take I-70 in the summer. In fairness, I-80 in Wyoming has harsh winters too, with permanent checkpoints to shut it down for excessive blowing snow, but it was faster and flatter with less canyons and turns. My father would have to take enough time off from work to give us the flexibility to wait out the weather if a winter storm blocked our return trip home. It was worth it, these highways made all of my memories with my grandparents possible, and are a part of what I call home
What is insane is there isn't a commuter train, at least from Golden to Loveland ski resort. This would cut overall traffic down significantly and greatly reduce the intensity of peak traffic times.
Somehow Winter Park gets once daily ski train service and nobody else does.
@daniellewis1789 not a mystery -- Winter Park was built where the train already ran -- My grandma used to take the train to Winter Park to go skiing back in the early 1940s when she was a student at U of Denver.
@@otsoko66 There are other resorts that plausibly could see ski service but don't. That's the puzzler.
Gosh how I'd love to ride a frequent train service from Denver to Frisco in the winter...
Indeed, a train service would make the trip to the ski slopes very relaxing! The ride we took from Westminster/Thornton to Copper Mountain was not bad, but took at least an hour. A train would be very convenient.
Thank you Wendover! This is great content and very well done. (It did make me a bit sad that I dropped out of Engineering in 1968 ...)
This is half as interesting , who’s wendover
imagine spending 20 dollars to write a comment... and then not even get mentioned or liked... hilarious
This was amazing. I’ve spent 100s of hours on this highway over the last ten years and it never fails to amaze me. Bravo.
civil engineers most definitely are part of the true heroes of society. the diligence and thought that went into every little intricacy is, at least in my opinion, awe-inspiring to this very day.
I would like to see responses from Germany, Switzerland and Austria comparing this to their mountain road experiences. Comparison videos, possibly be collaboration would be great.
Not completely related, but US infrastructure spending is often judged to be much less efficient. In subway construction, for example, US was paying like 2-3 times more per km than peer countries like France. The US paid about 550 mil USD/km on average for rapid rail transit. It was 310 in Australia, 300 in Germany, 250 in France, 260 in Canada, 200 in Austria, 190 in Norway, 130 in Switzerland. (UK and NZ were few that had higher prices than the US). This has nothing to do with labor costs as if you look it up, Norway and Switzlerland have very high GDP per capita figures (only IR and LX are higher) and they build at one of the cheapest prices. One of the things they point to as the cause is that US just doesn't build consistently. There'll be a big burst of spending for maybe 5 years and then it spends, the institutional and technical knowledge gets lost and when it starts falling apart 30 years later, it's basically starting from scratch. Successful cities/countries, on the other hand, keep building, always.
@@chinguunerdenebadrakh7022 wouldn't economies of scale also come into play here, since the US has much less in miles of passenger rail per land area than those countries?
The crossing of the Alps was similarly a very big challenge for a long time, because there too is a tall and steep mountain range stretched across the Alps without any larger valleys cutting through it. Since 1967 there is the Felbertauernstraße with a 5.3km long tunnel which was large enough for trucks to pass through. Later in 1971 there was the highway over the Brenner, which is still by far the most important road connection between Austria and Italy. That highway is bridged up for the most part. I can't compare it directly to the I70, but it must have been quite expensive to build. High demand is now causing frequent congestion there, mostly from trucks. That's why a 64km long rail tunnel (Brenner base tunnel) is now being built that simply cuts below the mountains and should take over most of the cargo traffic. In Switzerland the Gotthard base, opened in 2016, has a similar concept with 57km length. From what the video told me I would say that I70 is situated much higher around 3400m, whereas the Brenner highway is only as high as 1400m. But the Rocky Mountains around there don't look as steep as the Alps.
@@YAOMTCyes but also no, I guess. But we can't predict the future. Would it even out if the US built always, so that trains would be more accessible, so more people would travel, so more money is collected from fares, so it could be cheaper, so even more people would travel, so there would be greater demand for better rail, so etc etc?
as an austrian that were my thoughts. I know nothing about roads, but I wonder how the alpine roads compare to this.
I dug out the railroad tracks (UPRR) in Glennwood via high rail track hoe last summer from the mud slides that closed down sections of I-70 & trapped motorist for over a day in Glennwood tunnel. Great video. You should make another talking about the building of that section of railroad and the challenges faced while doing so. Very neat part of logistical history
I agree. And the original line built up and over Rollins Pass is an incredible marvel until they built Moffatt Tunnel which is also a marvel.
Was that the once in a century event that caused all the landslides and flooding? I bet that blew your mind to see the awesome power of mama nature. Thank you for rebuilding it so I can travel through to see my relatives in Oklahoma. It's a beautiful drive.
@@Hogslice due to the lack of vegetation because of the fire & the heavy amount of rail fall that followed caused the mud slides. Could be a issue until vegetation takes root
The entire story of building the roadway and railroad through the canyon is interesting and would be a great video.
0:20 I don’t know if anyone else noticed, but the slope counteracts *_centrifugal_* forces, not _centripetal._ Centripetal forces are actually what keeps matter close to the axis of rotation, counteracting centrifugal forces, which pull matter away (i.e. if you swing a bucket of water, the _centrifugal_ forces keep the water in. This means the slope of the road actually creates _centripetal_ forces itself.
I'm betting the writer "corrected" some of the information that they researched after remembering being told that centrifugal forces don't really exist, but without understanding that they aren't just interchangeable terms. And centrifugal forces don't exist as a physical thing -- the car isn't being pushed out of the loop by some magic force, it's just going to keep moving in a straight line until something makes it curve. But you can still talk about them meaningfully in a mathematical sense (e.g. from the car's inertial reference frame), and it would have been reasonable to say counteracting centrifugal forces here. But even more correct would be to say that the ramps *increase* centripetal force. So the statement is exactly backwards from what would be true.
@@TylerMcHenryWhat forces "exist" depends on your reference frame. In a rotating reference frame, centrifugal force definitely exists.
@@TylerMcHenryit's all a model, nothing really exists, only practical and useful mathematical representations of physical observations
Actually 🤓the slope helps to add centripetal forces so that the inertia of the automobile doesn't take it off the road
@@TylerMcHenry If we're nitpicking, wouldn't the total centripetal force in the plane of the turn be the same? Just turning some shear force on the tires into normal force
This stretch of freeway is by far my favorite. This, followed by Donner Pass on I80 through the Sierra Nevada, and surprisingly, the ~60 mile stretch of I80 through the Salt Lake Desert. I'm glad it exists because I hate driving through Wyoming.
I'm actually a civil engineer in Colorado doing roadway design! My company is actually working on the reconstruction of the west side of vail pass! I worked on that project a little and I got very familiar with it. Colorado's mountain roads are about as a crazy as it gets in the US. If you want to see a real piece of engineer absurdity look up the Million Dollar Highway, US 550 between Ouray & Silverton, a road not for the faint of heart!
I LOVE US 550. When the weather is good (ie: summer), it's an absolute blast to drive. But I grew up in Colorado and learned to drive on mountain roads. My most recent 550 experience was taking a Veloster N at a nice clip on a perfect spring day. Absolute joy, plus Silverton and Ouray are such neat little mountain towns.
i was reading that a major highway in a metropolitan area costs like $20M-$30M/mile. is it really that expensive?
@@Masrafi sounds par for the course, especially if there is any land acquisition involved. Roads are expensive.
That’s awesome. I’m from Colorado and studying civil engineering at Montana state currently. I hope to be a transportation engineer like you eventually
I travel to see new counties and this road happened on a trip from steamboat springs to durango via moffatt county a few days after it snowed. What an amazing road. It makes up for a lot of empty counties I’ve seen in Texas.
One addition I wish the US would start doing for their highways is wildlife overpasses. Gives a safe passage point for wildlife while saving lives/money of taxpayers with fewer road kill accidents.
There's a few of these in Florida over a stretch of I-95 between Jacksonville and St Augustine where each side of the road is basically just wilderness. Might be more, but those were the ones that caught my eye while driving. They look like abandoned/overgrown pedestrian crossing overpasses. All the fencing and the ramps on either side were covered in vining plants, so the wildlife see it as a safe path. Seems like it works too bc there was very little roadkill when I drove through that stretch. Was very cool to see that attention given to the local animals!
Nevada has been installing wildlife bridges in some places for this purpose. I wish Idaho can do the same, especially on I-84 right at the Idaho/Utah state line, as there are so many Elk standing in the roadway in the winter
If anyone wants to know why construction costs in the US are astronomically sky high compared to other civilized nations, it's because when ignorant people say stupid things like "we should build wildlife overpasses" they are usually ignored. In the US, the concerns of the ignorant are mandated by every government contract, regardless of cost, feasibility, or necessity. These environmental concerns tack on years and exorbitant costs, all of which gets funneled to private consulting firms (who have no obligation to the general public's best interests) with absolutely zero real benefit to anyone other than the handful of owners of those private consulting firms.
@randomamerican8236 your post makes no sense.
Washington state has a couple
As someone who has lived in Colorado my whole life; as someone who has watched this channel for years, this video is extremely well made. It sounds like this was written and produced by a Native. Well done and thank you for such quality content.
I'm pretty sure he is from Glenwood Springs
I've been through that tunnel so many times. Lived in Colorado Springs for 16 years and did a lot of trips to Grand Junction, Moab, Salt Lake City, and all the way down to California. It's a crazy road, especially in the winter.
I have gone on interstate 70 many times to go skiing in Colorado the Eisenhower Tunnel is crazy long and I must say it’s incredible that they just casually bored a massive tunnel through a bunch of mountains
It definitely could survive a nuclear bomb 😅
@@Mcfunface Although anyone choosing that area for a nuclear bomb would be confusingly misguided.
Wendover never fails to give me bricks
How so? You mean passing bricks or solid like a brick?
Bro is bricked up learning about roads 💀
dawg
Hai reference
I drive i70 in a truck for work multiple times a week and it truly feels like fighting for your life some days. Most people don't understand how terrifying, time consuming, and exhausting it is to keep mountain towns running. Next time you complain about your $10 beer and $20 burger think of the logistical nightmare it took to get those items to the highest towns in the US.
I70 through the Rockies is a modern era civil engineering wonder. I live in Denver and love passing the Rockies, all year long. Thanks for covering the history & engineering of I70!
I've used this highway for 15 years and this video shed a light on all the details taken in consideration on building it, and showing why i feel so comfortable driving it, thank you for making me stop taking this road for granted
Well done. The fact that highway was built was a marvel of engineering!
As someone who lives in the mountains of Colorado, Eisenhower Tunnel is infamous if you’re going to or from Denver. If even one person spins out, it can lock down the road one way or another for hours. Vail pass is even more infamous. If you’re going to have sketchy weather, if you’re going to have whiteout conditions, it’s gonna be vail pass. Whenever we go from glenwood to Denver, we don’t say we’re on the way until we’ve made it past both. IF you can get through Vail Pass, IF the traffic through Eisenhower isn’t terrible, then you’re on your way. My personal record for waiting on Eisenhower Tunnel is (not joking) 5 hours.
I have almost quit going skiing at the I-70 corridor resorts because of the traffic. Even just getting up and down Berthoud (for Winter Park) can be a bear with traffic backing up from Floyd Hill through Idaho Springs.
The westbound stretch through Glenwood Canyon is the most beautiful section of interstate in the US. Just spectacular!
As someone who has traversed a good amount of the interstate highway system, I have said for years that I-70 west of Denver is my absolute favorite to drive because of how stunningly gorgeous the area is.
I was truck driver for 20 years, I drove many times on I-70 thru Colorado. I always enjoyed the scenery..👌
Context: I am from California the I-70 (in Colorado) is the most dangerous road i have ever droven on. when at night, there is no light and the lane lines are sometimes unpainted and usually unreflective. the speed limit is 80mph. at night, it is really hard to drive especially because the tunnels are bright with all lights on but the interstate is dark. Can't adjust to the light change
This is something I've noticed in Colorado, the road paint is generally not reflective at all, makes things a little tricky at night.
These videos are always so informative, but living in the mountains of Colorado always makes Sam’s videos are 10x as interesting!
I know right! It makes me feel special when he does Colorado videos or even mentions it ❤
For me its *Half As Interesting* ;)
Namaste
Being a road makes this video even better
Indeed!!! I feel like I’ve been looked after ❤
I fell in love with i70 through Colorado (and Utah) my first time I ever took a road trip to California. Once I got to the scenic overlook in Silverthorne, I realized I might not even make it to my destination. Not because of the treachery of the road, but because the scenery is absolutely unmatched in this country. Highly recommend driving at least once in your life.
You need one brick, one wood. catan reference.
Driving i70 in the springtime is one of the most stunning drives you will ever make in your life, on par with the Pacific coast highway in beauty
Indeed both are amazing
I think you would love learning about US 550 or the million dollar highway between Montrose Colorado and Durango Colorado. Some incredible engineering and history. I think you would also enjoy doing a deep dive into avalanche science and how it impacts transportation and safety. You talked about it a little bit, but many folks just don’t want to realize how much work goes in to keeping mountain roadways open.
Building a tunnel under the continental divide sounds interesting when just talking about it, but the weirdness is truly driven home when actually being there. I can't count how many times I've entered Eisenhower tunnel in sunny and dry conditions, only to come out the other side in a full-blown blizzard.
I'm beginning to think Sam might secretly be a Colorado ski bum, every other video is about some sort of mountainous CO logistics problem haha
He is! I don’t think it’s a secret though based they’re based in the roaring fork valley (Aspen)
He's a Coloradan. I've watched him for years but didn't realize till he did his video on power grids. I remember when he posted about grocery stores and showed a King Soopers in B-roll and I'm like "hold up I've been there"
Thank Edgardo Contini, master engineer, for the Glenwood Canyon masterpiece of road design and construction. Contini was a visionary with the charisma and character to bring around anyone not understanding how design can truly transform the landscape and nature. He was an educator and consumate professional. His love and intuitive understanding of nature deeply inspired his students and colleagues. And, he had a wicked sense of humor. His fingerprints are everywhere, inspiring us 30 years after his passing.
One of my favorite drives was traveling on I 70 between Utah and Kansas. 15 years later, I clearly remember passing through Eisenhower Tunnel. Thank you CDOT.
I-70 sadly ruined a lot of historic Railroad grades, including the famous Colorado and Southern Clear Creek narrow gauge branch, which included the super famous Georgetown Loop. Luckily they save the Loop, but the rest of the route was destroyed and paved over 😢
It’s amazing to see you doing so many Colorado based videos. I’ve lived here half my life, driven over I70 more times than I can count and just hearing you explain these problems and dilemmas is so cool. I’ve seen these problems first and second hand (the mud slides I experienced closer in person on highway 24 in Colorado Springs)
I have lived in Colorado and travelled the I-70 many times, mostly to go skiing. Great to see and get insight into the challenges CDOT faced to built this beautiful interstate through the Rockies. Thanks for the great explanation and illustrations!
THe drive on this road is absolutely breathtaking. The only thing that distracts from the ethereal beauty is pondering about how in the heck the road could have been built in the first place. I know it was explained in the video, but the way in which the road hugs the natural curves of the mountains and seamlessly flows above the rivers and through the tunnels makes for a one-of-a-kind drive for both the driver and passengers.
When my wife and I went to Denver last fall, the drive into Moab, UT was absolutely amazing! I could not believe they built I-70 through those mountains. Vail Pass was breathtaking…..a true engineering marvel!
In the late 90's and early 2000's the state wanted to build an elevated passenger rail line from Denver international airport to Grand Junction using the I-70 corridor. As I recall state voters rejected the plan because it was going to be VERY expensive and only benefit people living along I-70. Still, I would have enjoyed taking the train to the Airport or Downtown Denver from Edwards Colorado instead of driving.
It wouldn't have been able to follow I-70 exactly either, rail lines have tighter tolerances for gradients and curvature.
Some people just do not understand long term benefit
At least the Amtrak from Denver to Grand Junction is a rather pretty, if somewhat slow, ride. I do recommend it for a leisurely, but beautiful experience.
Expensive, and largely pointless, since the California Zephyr already runs from Union Station to Grand Junction. The only gap was from DIA to Union Station, which is now covered by the RTD A Line.
@@johnchedsey1306It would be a monumental undertaking to get a rail to go faster through those mountains.
Can't begin to fathom a tunnel under Red Buffalo Pass, the eagle's nest wilderness is just incredible and I'm glad 70 was constructed so late in the game to where we'd finally realized that it's not always about "taking the fastest route."
Couldn't agree more @13:48 Just drove through that stretch of highway for the first time 2 months ago and I gotta say it was absolutely beautiful.
I love how when you talk about “The American Federal Highway Administration” at 0:34, the visual is of the start point of the Canadian Sea to Sky Highway near Vancouver 😅
Very cool CDOT, now do it again but with a passenger train
I second!
I'M SO EXCITED FOR THIS! As a Coloradan it's so frustrating when people complain about the mirscle that is I-70 because they're running late for their ski run. I've driven that stretch dozens of times in my life and everytime leaves me in awe.
Thanks for the great video ❤ I drive Denver to grand junction and back at least 5 times a year and see so many accidents, snow or sun… But you also see so many sides of Colorado and I am nearly in tears every time I have the opportunity to take this breathtaking drive. I’ve lived here for all my 26 years and I see Colorado different each time I drive I-70
This feels like a continuation of the Interstates video you did a little while ago. I have gone over this chunk of I-70 between Denver and Grand Junction in every season. Climbing the mountains in late evening with the sun low behind the distant summits is incredible. Take the trip if you have never seen it. Absolutely breathtaking.
This is so interesting, thanks! As a lawyer especialized in public procurement, our firm does a lot of legal consulting for big infraestructure construction companies, but all the minutia of the engineering of the roads our clients do flies over my head😅 so this actually explains a lot! I live in Chile were most highways have to pass through some sort of mountain, similarly to this one. I actually love working for these types of projects; by helping the contractor (and a State), in a few years, you get the satisfaction to drive or use a new infraestructure that serves the whole community. Pretty cool!
man I left work to relax and watch some Wendover, did not expect to hear Sam explain my job while eating dinner today thanks for the amazing video as always, this stretch of I-70 truly is an engineering feat and one of the most beautiful drives in the country.
I remember going through that tunnel way way way back in the early 90s with family, we took I70 to nearly the western end and then came back the scenic way.. hitting a number of parks and sight seeing stops.
I-70 west of Denver is one the most impressive stretches of road in the country. It is also one of the most frustrating from all the traffic on the weekends.
As a licensed professional civil engineer, this video really does just scratch the surface of the whole story of everything that goes into major road building. From planning, budgeting, environmental studying, then engineering and construction. Good video tho
Well yeah... It's a 20 minute video. Did you expect him to go super in depth on something that normally 4 years of college and years of on the job training?
@@Xailow no, did i say i expected that? I’m just letting people know there’s more to explore if they wanted
I'm not a road engineer but I do read the DMRB 'design manual for roads and bridges' seeing the standards of how motorways and fast roads (and roads in built up areas) are built in the UK
@@MrSlipperysealthe guy has a point… it’s literally just a KZhead video so you bringing up that it’s not extensive is inherently unnecessary and most likely to be seen as you arrogantly demanding blueprints and the like
im from developing country, after watching this video, there's literally another video of roads from my area, the contractors just put 50x50 concrete on the ground with gaps between them and call it a day. And very popular channel here is compilation of overloaded trucks slipping their tires trying to climb non-standardized mountain pass roads. No matter what people on internet say about US, they have better goverment than mine
Been on this a bunch of times and there’s plenty of spots that are extremely sketchy but it’s so beautiful and seems like the mountains go on forever. There’s so many it goes on for hours. My friend is a truck driver and he said they don’t even let him take 70 past Denver because of how crazy it gets.
This is awesome. I recently drove over the cascades and was awed at what man has done to be able to safely move so many people back and forth. This explains a lot of that process. Thanks Wendover guy.
I think youtube has a slight obsession with I-70 lately. Not that I'm complaining, it's cool to see my home state getting attention like this
Immediately west of Vail pass one of my first jobs was installation of cut and fill culverts. Culverts between 6 and 11 feet in diameter, crossing both east and west road beds. The cuts excavated by surveyor scope and large excavators,, I was the guy to enter the ditch and with a shovel and by eye, flatten the center of the ditch to receive the culverts. I was one of the men assembling the sections and on the fill teams compacting the spoils to 95% and greater to bury the pipe. 1971-1972.
Absolutely. Fkn. Based. Those Civil Engineers were absolute legends for managing to build so well with such elevation, and keeping the overall landscape (relatively) intact.
You never cease to amaze me with the amount of information you provide in each video. It blows my mind. This is tantamount to a semester of college in road building 101. I marvel as I drive across this country at how many miles of great freeways we have and how easy they are to navigate. I've driven from the Pacific to the Atlantic and Canada to Mexico and we are so blessed to have great freeways to make the travel so enjoyable. Thanks again for the video.
Grew up in Denver. I remember when they build the Glendwood Canyon stretch of I-70. Took years. It is one of the most impressive and beautiful stretches of interstate. And Vail Pass is remarkable. Another fairly crazy bit is the drop from Evergreen down into Denver. It's steep with some fairly hefty turns. The whole drive over the Rockies is beautiful and impressive.
Colorado native here, and one who grew up in the sparse northern area where possible I-70 might have gone. Spoiler: there was no reason to have a freeway there. Anyhow, I've driven I-70 countless times and love this little piece on it. Regarding Eagle's Nest, my dad told me a story that the state did take the road planners up to Eagle's Nest in winter to show exactly how much it snowed there and they instantly reevaluated the plans. I imagine combined with concerns about the environment impact, the snowfall thwarted the plans. I've also gone over Vail Pass in heavy snowstorms. The grade is such that a car with front wheel drive and good tires generally is going to be fine (assuming you're wise enough to go slowly and carefully). But I've also had to wind my way around jackknifed trucks and SUVs with balding tires. I no longer live in Colorado but I still hear the stories of ski traffic on the weekends making the journey back to Denver an hours long ordeal. Highway planners don't have many options to expand it. I don't envy their jobs!
What an amazing video. Well done! I’m a native Floridian who loves Colorado and taking I70 out into the mountains. At a temperate time of year. However, I have driven out to Vail in the winter and with a decent snowstorm coming in close. Almost had to find a hotel room in Vail as they closed the interstate for a little while. The Vail pass is utterly amazing to drive through in winter. And while this Floridian was sure anxious to drive it, I never felt full panic as the road was smooth and clear the whole way.
I drove this stretch of highway for the first time a few weeks ago; nice to see the back story of its construction 😊
Imagine how much different the Colorado Ski industry would be without the Eisenhower tunnel and Vail pass. I'd be happy if I-70 went underground at Golden and came out at Glenwood Springs. But I don't have the $50 billion or so that would require.
Drove on I-70 for the first time a couple years ago. Coming from Arizona, it is one hell of a road. My mom was saying “what beautiful scenery” and I was saying “what a civil engineering project”
Just drove this road last month last time on the way to Oregon from NC. The most beautiful thing ive ever seen in nature.
Would love to see a similar video specifically about the history and challenges regarding I-70 through Glenwood canyon in Colorado. I imagine that was an even tougher section to plan and build.
Having grown up a Colorado mountain kid, I have driven 70 an uncountable number of times, and thus very much appreciate this excellent explanation of it. Could've used a skosh more about the design of Glenwood canyon, but whatever. Still very much into this video. Nice work.
Glenwood Canyon is the highlight of the entire road, the scenery is amazing, and the road work/design is almost as beautiful, its a road that demands respect but the canyon is the reward. Little snowy sometimes too
The moment the video started, I knew it was going to be about I-70. And I also knew it would make particular emphasis on Vail pass, because that part is beautiful but also terrifying when it snows. We got stuck in Avon on one trip because we were in a rental and for whatever reason, even though we told him we'd be going into the mountains, the guy did not give us anything for snow - no snow tires, no spikes, no 4-wheel drive vehicle. One of the most terrifying drives back to Boulder
Used to regularly make this route going from Denver to SLC. Its a great little stretch on a looong drive that i used to look forward to. Thanks for another interesting video!
Once you go over soldier summit to join up with i70 just past Price, the real journey begins lol
Reminds me of the Gotthard Highway in Switzerland, especially the part with traffic jams around the tunnel.
8:50 - Can we all just take a moment to appreciate his saying that the costs would “shoot a mile high?” True excellence. The Jordan of KZhead.
As a 6th generation native of Colorado , I remember road trips across the state on Hiway 6 and Hiway 40 . That's all there was when I was young. One of my Great Grandfathers founded Grang Junction and Delta ,so we crossed the state many times ,to visit family when I was young . Loved fishing on Grand Mesa . Anyway ,I grew up , became a heavy equipment operator and worked on building I 70 through Stratton , Rifle & Ten Mile Canyon. 44 below zero in Ten Mile , Thanksgiving weekend, 1978 . But all the peat bogs were frozen , so we could work . Good times . Thanks for draglining up good memories
I love the Wendover / Half as Interesting Synergy where Wendover shows us "look at the amazing feats and complexity behind our modern world! See what we can achieve as humans!" and then Half as Interesting videos going "and now that you're marveling, look at all the things we royaly f***ed up in this modern world, mostly because laziness and stupidity!" 😄 You're doing great work Sam & Team 😄
Many people underestimate the danger of I-70 and US-6. We have chain laws, but could really do with state inspections. Lots of 2WD, summer tire vehicles in the ditch on snowy days.
I once drove a mustang from Kansas City to a friend near Moab one November. A miracle I’m still alive, and more so with zero incidents with my car.
I live a mile from the eastern most last 30 miles of 70. We take the kids on a lot of road trips and I'm always amazed and talking about its construction. I really keep them entertained with the same facts i told them the last time. 🤣I do enjoy 70 and it's far more incredible further west.
I'm from the southeast, I've driven through I-70 twice from east to west, what an amazing landscape it is. I love how it starts with alpine mountains and after vail slowly turns into high desert.
Always a good day when Wendover uploads !
Drove the whole route from the Utah border to Denver earlier this year. Beautiful stretch of highway. A true engineering marvel. Besides the areas mentioned, the highway around Georgetown and Idaho Springs is really cool because the valley gets so narrow the two directions are almost on top of each other.
As someone who lives on I-70, it’s a beautiful road to drive, when it’s not blocked by a wrecked semi, rock fall, avalanche, mudslide, etc.
I wish we could switch to trains as the primary land based long distance travel method and away from cars. The interstate is absurdly expensive and videos like this just highlight that even more for me.
Nobody will finance train tracks going through huge swathes of empty land when you already have the interstate system.
@@soundscape26 The I-70 mountain corridor is far from empty. From Denver to Glenwood, there are at least 2.5 million people (mostly in Denver and the foothills, yes), and the corridor is HEAVILY used.
Have you seen the difference in the width of the railway tracks compared to the interstate? It would be possible to build soweit double track streches and have passenger service as well
@@carstenmoller2248 Grades are a complication, though...cars are capable of much higher grades than rail. If we could suss that, we may be on to something, but it's an old and basic problem of rail in steep terrain. That said, I'd love it if we could solve it.
Absolutely fantastic video. I love that road, and I'm thrilled to see some of what it took to build it. Thanks for the time and effort on this one! Keep up the great work.
Great video Wendover. One thing I feel like you missed is that in summer 2021, Glenwood Canyon was closed from July until November due to mud slides. I lived in Vail at that point and it was detrimental to us and especially those on the western slope.
Great Video!! It's easy to take for granted the impressiveness and complexity of a road so convenient. I travel frequently and 2020, 2021, and 2022 made me truly appreciate the convenience of I-70. Many days I worried I wouldn't beat the thunderstorms forecasted for Glenwood Canyon and I'd inevitably be stuck in Dotsero or forced to traverse one of the hours long detours to get home. I-70 is a true marvel of engineering and holds untold convenience and value to not just those who live around it but to the country as well!
This mini-documentary is very well done and informative. Thank you!
I have driven this road. It's a hell of a view.