The Colorado High Performance Transportation Enterprise (HPTE), a division of the Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT), has selected Freshfields and Kaplan Kirsch Rockwell as legal advisers for the Interstate 70 East PPP project.

The request for proposals (RFP) for the services was issued on 30 June this year.

The Freshfields and Kaplan Kirsch Rockwell team will provide legal advice to HPTE and its interdisciplinary team of technical, engineering and financial professionals on the application of the P3 model for the Interstate 70 East PPP project.

The contract will have a duration of 5 years.

In 2013 HPTE hired Macquarie Capital as financial advisor for the project.

The I-70 East project corridor extends through the eastern portion of the City and County of Denver. The current project limits extend (in abbreviated form) from the intersection of I-70 and I-25 east to Tower Road, a distance of approximately 11 miles. This portion of I-70 also intersects several railroad lines, I-270 and I-225.

The purpose of the project is to implement a transportation solution that improves safety, access and mobility. The need for the project results from the following issues:

• Increased transportation demand
• Limited transportation capacity
• Safety concerns; and
• Transportation infrastructure deficiencies