 The freeway is credited with enhancing Colorado 's ski industry . The ski resort town of Vail did not exist until I @-@ 70 began construction , with developers working in close partnership with the Department of Transportation . By 1984 , the I @-@ 70 corridor between Denver and Grand Junction contained the largest concentration of ski resorts in the United States . The towns and cities along the corridor have experienced significant growth , luring recreational visitors from the Denver area . As one conservationist lamented , I @-@ 70 " changed rural Colorado into non @-@ rural Colorado " . 
