CDOT Announces Summer Construction Plans

I-25 Broadway Viaduct set for completion; $24M in resurfacing scheduled in Denver

Another summer of highway construction is beginning at the Colorado Department of Transportation, one that will include a variety of road work ranging from paving to bridge replacements to interchange improvement projects.

This summer CDOT will have a minimum of 25 construction projects in the Denver metro area alone, totaling approximately $125 million - not including the $1.67 billion T-REX Project, which finishes this fall.

"As is usually the case, warm weather means that a good portion of CDOT's summer construction will focus on resurfacing as we try to maintain our current system," said CDOT Executive Director Tom Norton. "However, several of our projects this season will focus on intersection improvements, as well as other improvements in an effort to improve safety despite ever-increasing traffic volumes."

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Resurfacing Projects

More than $24 million in resurfacing projects will be under way in the Denver metro area this summer, including:

• Colorado Boulevard from Martin Luther King Boulevard to Vasquez Boulevard;
• Colorado Boulevard from Hampden Avenue to Buchtel Boulevard;
• I-25 from 84th Avenue to 120th Avenue;
• Broadway from 58th Avenue and S.H. 224;
• I-76 from south of Bromley Lane to Lochbuie;
• S.H. 93 from South Boulder Diversion Canal to Wadsworth Boulevard;
• U.S. Highway 6 (6th Avenue) from Simms Street to U.S. Highway 40;
• C-470 from Morrison Road to Belleview Avenue;
• Wadsworth Boulevard from C-470 to Waterton Road;
• Belleview Avenue from Broadway to University Boulevard;
• Hampden Avenue from Yosemite Street to Parker Road;
• S.H. 7 from York Street to U.S. Highway 85.

New Projects

In addition to the 12 resurfacing projects, six new projects have recently started or will begin soon:

• I-70 from Brighton Boulevard to Vasquez Boulevard - This is one of several projects that will repair and replace expansion joints on this 40-plus-year-old viaduct. Twelve expansion joints will be repaired or replaced as part of the $2.6 million project, which started in early April. Work will continue through October.
• Speer Boulevard at Interstate 25 - This project will modify the interchange at Speer Boulevard to eliminate the loop ramps on the west side of I-25. A new ramp will also be constructed that takes motorists off I-25 to access Invesco Field. The bridge rail will also be repaired along Speer Boulevard. The $6.6 million project - mainly funded through federal funds and by the City and County of Denver - will begin later this month and continue through August 2007.
• 120th Avenue at Wadsworth Boulevard - This project will realign and reconstruct the 120th Avenue/Wadsworth Boulevard intersection. The intersection will be realigned to the south to increase the distance to the U.S. Highway 36 interchange to accommodate future construction.
• The reconstruction will add a turn lane from eastbound 120th Avenue to northbound Wadsworth Boulevard and from northbound Wadsworth Boulevard to westbound 120th Avenue. Auxiliary lanes will also be added to and from Highway 36. The $3.9 million project will begin in May and continue through August 2007.
• Wadsworth Boulevard at Grandview Avenue - This $32 million project will construct a grade-separated intersection, and rotomill and pave Wadsworth Boulevard in concrete. Work will begin in August and finish in July 2008.
• Parker Road from I-225 to Lehigh Avenue - This $1.3 million project will replace the current raised median with concrete barrier. The work will take place August through October.
• I-25/U.S. 36/I-76/I-270 - This $15 million project will construct a flyover ramp from eastbound I-270 to eastbound I-76. This final phase completes one of Colorado's 28 strategic projects. The project will start in early fall and finish in spring 2008.

Continuing Projects

Several projects that were under way last summer will continue into this construction season, with three of them wrapping up this year:

• Parker Road at Quincy Avenue - This project widened Parker Road and eastbound Quincy Avenue to accommodate a third left turn lane from southbound Parker Road to eastbound Quincy Avenue. Parker Road from Lehigh Avenue to East Rice Place was also reconstructed in concrete.
• The realignment was completed on Saturday and all three lanes of northbound and southbound Parker Road opened in addition to the third left turn lane from southbound Parker Road to eastbound Quincy Avenue.
• "This segment of Parker Road near Quincy Avenue gets extremely busy during the peak hours, and motorists will be thrilled to see it back into its final configuration," said CDOT Project Engineer Mark Meyers. "[They] will again have a third through lane in each direction, as well as an additional turn lane, which should really help the flow of traffic."
• The $3.5 million project will finish by the end of this month as crews complete work in the median.
• I-25 at 120th Avenue - This project is replacing the 120th Avenue bridge with one that is 70 ft wider and 50 ft longer. The new bridge will accommodate three through lanes and two left turn lanes onto I-25 in each direction of 120th Avenue. Both the eastbound and westbound 120th Avenue structures are complete and work is under way to lower I-25. The $18.4 million project will finish in July.
• Colorado Boulevard over Vasquez Boulevard - This project replaces the existing 45-year-old bridge with one that is slightly wider to accommodate wider shoulders; no extra lanes will be added. Major construction of the new bridge is complete and traffic will be switched at the end of May or early June. The $8.8 million project will be complete in July.
• I-25 Broadway Viaduct - This $28 million project continues construction to replace the worst bridge in the state highway system. The southbound structure is complete and construction of the northbound structure is nearing completion.

Before completion in July, crews need to pave the new bridge deck, install guardrail and place traffic into its final configuration. When complete, four lanes will be open in each direction as well as all ramps.

High Country Cone Zones

Travelers in the high country will also experience cone zones along I-70 West:

• I-70 from Empire Junction to Fall River Road and eastbound I-70 west of the Eisenhower Tunnel (milepost 206-210) - Both projects will resurface I-70 and require lane closures in the day and some evenings. The project between Empire Junction and Fall River Road is under way and will be complete in August. The I-70 project west of the Eisenhower Tunnel will take place in June.
• I-70 Ramp Metering - This $2.1 million project installs ramp meters at three eastbound on-ramps to I-70: I-70/U.S. 40 (Empire Junction), I-70/Downieville and I-70 Idaho Springs East interchanges. The project will also extend the acceleration lanes at these locations. Work will begin later this month and continue through the end of August.
• I-70 Eisenhower Tunnel to Bakerville - This $4.8 million project installs cable guardrail in the median of I-70, repairs pipes and paves the eastbound and westbound bore of the tunnel. Work will begin later this month or early May and continue through October.

"We recognize that construction projects, big and small, can still have an impact on travel and cause delays for motorists," Norton said. "A recent survey indicates that a large majority of Front Range and Denver metro area residents prefer construction and maintenance work be done at night. Wherever possible, we will schedule night work, but our limited construction season may also require some day work during non-peak travel times.

"We'll do our best to minimize delays and inconvenience, but urge motorists to plan ahead so they won't be caught in a cone zone if they don't have time to spare."

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