▁elev ate ▁to ▁the ▁standard ▁of ▁public ▁art ." ▁A ▁portion ▁of ▁the ▁project ▁included ▁sh oring ▁up ▁the ▁banks ▁of ▁the ▁Colorado ▁River ▁to ▁repair ▁damage ▁and ▁remove ▁flow ▁restrictions ▁created ▁in ▁the ▁initial ▁construction ▁of ▁US   6 ▁in ▁the ▁ 1 9 3 0 s . ▁ ▁The ▁fre ew ay ▁was ▁finally ▁completed ▁on ▁October ▁ 1 4 , ▁ 1 9 9 2 , ▁in ▁a ▁ceremony ▁covered ▁nation wide . ▁Most ▁coverage ▁celebrated ▁the ▁engineering ▁achiev ement ▁or ▁noted ▁this ▁was ▁the ▁last ▁major ▁piece ▁of ▁the ▁Inter state ▁Highway ▁System ▁to ▁open ▁to ▁traffic . ▁However , ▁newsp apers ▁in ▁western ▁Colorado ▁celebrated ▁the ▁end ▁of ▁the ▁fr ustr ating ▁traffic ▁del ays . ▁For ▁most ▁of ▁the ▁final ▁ 1 0 ▁years ▁of ▁construction , ▁only ▁a ▁single ▁l ane ▁of ▁traffic ▁that ▁revers ed ▁direction ▁every ▁ 3 0 ▁minutes ▁remained ▁open ▁in ▁the ▁can y on . ▁One ▁newspaper ▁proud ly ▁proc laimed ▁" You ▁heard ▁right . ▁For ▁the ▁first ▁time ▁in ▁more ▁than ▁ 1 0 ▁years , ▁construction ▁del ays ▁along ▁that ▁ ▁stretch ▁of ▁Inter state   7 0 ▁will ▁be ▁non - ex istent ." ▁ ▁The ▁cost ▁was ▁$ 4 9 0 ▁million ▁( equ ivalent ▁to ▁$ ▁million ▁today ) ▁to ▁build ▁, ▁ 4 0 ▁times ▁the ▁average ▁cost ▁per ▁mile ▁predicted ▁by ▁the ▁pl ann ers ▁of ▁the ▁Inter state ▁Highway ▁system . ▁This ▁figure ▁exceed ed ▁that ▁of ▁Inter state ▁ 1 5