Document and Entity Information - shares	6 Months Ended
	Jun. 24, 2016	Jul. 29, 2016
Document and Entity Information
Entity Registrant Name	CH2M HILL COMPANIES LTD
Entity Central Index Key	0000777491
Document Type	10-Q
Document Period End Date	Jun. 24, 2016
Amendment Flag	false
Current Fiscal Year End Date	--12-30
Entity Current Reporting Status	Yes
Entity Filer Category	Large Accelerated Filer
Entity Common Stock, Shares Outstanding		25,535,086
Document Fiscal Year Focus	2016
Document Fiscal Period Focus	Q2