diff --git a/src/comp/driver/rustc.rs b/src/comp/driver/rustc.rs
index ec715593ce743..0c12161661aae 100644
--- a/src/comp/driver/rustc.rs
+++ b/src/comp/driver/rustc.rs
@@ -151,6 +151,8 @@ fn compile_input(sess: session::session, cfg: ast::crate_cfg, input: str,
         time(time_passes, "alias checking",
              bind middle::alias::check_crate(ty_cx, crate));
     time(time_passes, "kind checking", bind kind::check_crate(ty_cx, crate));
+    time(time_passes, "const checking",
+         bind middle::check_const::check_crate(ty_cx, crate));
     if sess.get_opts().no_trans { ret; }
     let llmod =
         time(time_passes, "translation",
diff --git a/src/comp/middle/check_const.rs b/src/comp/middle/check_const.rs
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000000..59bfdadf62f09
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/comp/middle/check_const.rs
@@ -0,0 +1,54 @@
+import syntax::ast::*;
+import syntax::ast_util::{variant_def_ids, dummy_sp};
+import syntax::visit;
+
+fn check_crate(tcx: ty::ctxt, crate: @crate) {
+    let v =
+        @{visit_item: bind check_item(tcx, _, _, _)
+             with *visit::default_visitor::<()>()};
+    visit::visit_crate(*crate, (), visit::mk_vt(v));
+    tcx.sess.abort_if_errors();
+}
+
+fn check_item(tcx: ty::ctxt, it: @item, &&s: (), v: visit::vt<()>) {
+    visit::visit_item(it, s, v);
+    alt it.node {
+      item_const(_ /* ty */, ex) {
+         let v =
+             @{visit_expr: bind check_const_expr(tcx, _, _, _)
+                  with *visit::default_visitor::<()>()};
+         check_const_expr(tcx, ex, (), visit::mk_vt(v));
+       }
+       _ { }
+    }
+}
+
+fn check_const_expr(tcx: ty::ctxt, ex: @expr, &&s: (), v: visit::vt<()>) {
+    visit::visit_expr(ex, s, v);
+    alt ex.node {
+      expr_lit(_) { }
+      expr_binary(_, _, _) { /* subexps covered by visit */ }
+      expr_unary(u, _) {
+        alt u {
+          box(_)  |
+          uniq(_) |
+          deref.  {
+            tcx.sess.span_err(ex.span,
+                              "disallowed operator in constant expression");
+          }
+          _ { }
+        }
+      }
+      _ { tcx.sess.span_err(ex.span,
+            "constant contains unimplemented expression type"); }
+    }
+}
+
+// Local Variables:
+// mode: rust
+// fill-column: 78;
+// indent-tabs-mode: nil
+// c-basic-offset: 4
+// buffer-file-coding-system: utf-8-unix
+// compile-command: "make -k -C $RBUILD 2>&1 | sed -e 's/\\/x\\//x:\\//g'";
+// End:
diff --git a/src/comp/middle/trans.rs b/src/comp/middle/trans.rs
index e054d359bb9bf..5e25d53e810a4 100644
--- a/src/comp/middle/trans.rs
+++ b/src/comp/middle/trans.rs
@@ -5290,7 +5290,71 @@ fn trans_tag_variant(cx: @local_ctxt, tag_id: ast::node_id,
 fn trans_const_expr(cx: @crate_ctxt, e: @ast::expr) -> ValueRef {
     alt e.node {
       ast::expr_lit(lit) { ret trans_crate_lit(cx, *lit); }
-      _ { cx.sess.span_unimpl(e.span, "consts that's not a plain literal"); }
+      ast::expr_binary(b, e1, e2) {
+        let te1 = trans_const_expr(cx, e1);
+        let te2 = trans_const_expr(cx, e2);
+        /* Neither type is bottom, and we expect them to be unified already,
+         * so the following is safe. */
+        let ty = ty::expr_ty(ccx_tcx(cx), e1);
+        let is_float = ty::type_is_fp(ccx_tcx(cx), ty);
+        let signed = ty::type_is_signed(ccx_tcx(cx), ty);
+        ret alt b {
+          ast::add.    {
+            if is_float { llvm::LLVMConstFAdd(te1, te2) }
+            else        { llvm::LLVMConstAdd(te1, te2) }
+          }
+          ast::sub.    {
+            if is_float { llvm::LLVMConstFSub(te1, te2) }
+            else        { llvm::LLVMConstSub(te1, te2) }
+          }
+          ast::mul.    {
+            if is_float { llvm::LLVMConstFMul(te1, te2) }
+            else        { llvm::LLVMConstMul(te1, te2) }
+          }
+          ast::div.    {
+            if is_float    { llvm::LLVMConstFDiv(te1, te2) }
+            else if signed { llvm::LLVMConstSDiv(te1, te2) }
+            else           { llvm::LLVMConstUDiv(te1, te2) }
+          }
+          ast::rem.    {
+            if is_float    { llvm::LLVMConstFRem(te1, te2) }
+            else if signed { llvm::LLVMConstSRem(te1, te2) }
+            else           { llvm::LLVMConstURem(te1, te2) }
+          }
+          ast::and.    |
+          ast::or.     { cx.sess.span_unimpl(e.span, "binop logic"); }
+          ast::bitxor. { llvm::LLVMConstXor(te1, te2) }
+          ast::bitand. { llvm::LLVMConstAnd(te1, te2) }
+          ast::bitor.  { llvm::LLVMConstOr(te1, te2) }
+          ast::lsl.    { llvm::LLVMConstShl(te1, te2) }
+          ast::lsr.    { llvm::LLVMConstLShr(te1, te2) }
+          ast::asr.    { llvm::LLVMConstAShr(te1, te2) }
+          ast::eq.     |
+          ast::lt.     |
+          ast::le.     |
+          ast::ne.     |
+          ast::ge.     |
+          ast::gt.     { cx.sess.span_unimpl(e.span, "binop comparator"); }
+        }
+      }
+      ast::expr_unary(u, e) {
+        let te = trans_const_expr(cx, e);
+        let ty = ty::expr_ty(ccx_tcx(cx), e);
+        let is_float = ty::type_is_fp(ccx_tcx(cx), ty);
+        ret alt u {
+          ast::box(_)  |
+          ast::uniq(_) |
+          ast::deref.  { cx.sess.span_bug(e.span,
+                           "bad unop type in trans_const_expr"); }
+          ast::not.    { llvm::LLVMConstNot(te) }
+          ast::neg.    {
+            if is_float { llvm::LLVMConstFNeg(te) }
+            else        { llvm::LLVMConstNeg(te) }
+          }
+        }
+      }
+      _ { cx.sess.span_bug(e.span,
+            "bad constant expression type in trans_const_expr"); }
     }
 }
 
diff --git a/src/comp/rustc.rc b/src/comp/rustc.rc
index b54610dd5c3a1..9215cbcb9c1bb 100644
--- a/src/comp/rustc.rc
+++ b/src/comp/rustc.rc
@@ -27,6 +27,7 @@ mod middle {
     mod typeck;
     mod fn_usage;
     mod check_alt;
+    mod check_const;
     mod mut;
     mod alias;
     mod kind;
diff --git a/src/test/run-pass/const-contents.rs b/src/test/run-pass/const-contents.rs
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000000..a8fd1378c9e66
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/test/run-pass/const-contents.rs
@@ -0,0 +1,17 @@
+// Issue #570
+
+const lsl : int = 1 << 2;
+const add : int = 1 + 2;
+const addf : float = 1.0f + 2.0f;
+const not : int = !0;
+const notb : bool = !true;
+const neg : int = -(1);
+
+fn main() {
+    assert(lsl == 4);
+    assert(add == 3);
+    assert(addf == 3.0f);
+    assert(not == -1);
+    assert(notb == false);
+    assert(neg == -1);
+}