Construction spanned 12 mi end to end. Mainline I-25 was rebuilt and widened from four lanes to six. Twenty bridges were added or replaced, and major interchanges extensively reconfigured. Sufficient clearance was built in to allow for an eventual expansion to eight lanes. To reduce the impact on parks and neighborhoods, noise walls were installed along Monument Valley Park, Pulpit Rock, Holliday Village and Holland Park.

Construction consumed 140,000 tons of asphalt, 300,000 cu yds of concrete, and 3,485 tons of reinforced bridge steel. Excavations and grading removed or shifted nearly 500,000 cu yds of earth.

The principal stakeholders CDOT, the city of Colorado Springs, Rockrimmon Constructors and Union Pacific Railroad officed in the same building immediately adjacent to the site.

The arrangement put project personnel “right across the hall from one another,” thereby addressing a critical challenge faced by the team how to keep the various entities focused and on the same page.

“A key aspect, one that people should really be aware of, was the co-location of the major players,” says Poling. “Co-location was critical to the speed of design, construction and decision making. A 24/7 work schedule also helped.

“The process was extremely dynamic. Problems could be addressed immediately. In addition to monthly stakeholder meetings, considerable informal interaction took place. Meetings can eat up time, but that’s where real coordination takes place,” he says.

Task forces assigned to manage various specializations including utilities, structures, hydraulics, roadway, traffic control and public involvement met regularly to update plans and adjust schedules.

Meanwhile, by completing connector-distributor roads first, the team was able achieve another important objective: maintain two lanes of uninterrupted traffic flow in both directions on I-25. Once completed, the CD roads became the highway and reconstruction could proceed more quickly on the mainline.

“To bring this off successfully required careful planning,” says Majeune. “With a design of such complexity, strategizing about solutions was like an elegant chess game. The stakeholders deserve a lot of credit for making everything fall into place.”

To minimize inconvenience to the public, COSMIX launched a significant community outreach program well in advance of groundbreaking. The team maintained a project Web site and public information line. Meetings were held, bulletins issued, blast emails sent and door-to-door visits made to keep people apprised of detours and the project’s progress.

Extensive Improvements Total project cost was approximately $144 million, $15 million more than originally planned. “The overrun was primarily the result of CDOT-directed changes and additions,” says Majeune. “CDOT seized the opportunity to pave gaps between the major segments, after $3 million in additional funding suddenly came available.

“Another $5 million was committed to mitigate water-quality issues not included in the original contract,” she says. Most notably, that included the installation of permanent settling ponds along the length of the corridor to shield Monument Creek from potential contaminants.

The balance of the overrun entailed aesthetic improvements related to the Bijou Bridge. An historic stone wall built by the WPA along Monument Creek had to be dismantled and rebuilt to provide clearance for bridge footings. Portions of the bike path running under the bridge also had to be replaced and several bike paths, elsewhere, were re-routed.

Besides the mainline work, the “meat of the project,” according to Majeune, involved the reconstruction of the Bijou and Nevada Avenue-Rockrimmon interchanges.

“Changes to the Nevada-Corporate Drive-Rockrimmon interchange and associated connector-distributor roads (ramps and frontage roads) plus the building of a new road between Nevada and Corporate Drive represents a significant departure from the original configuration,” she says.

A new split-diamond arrangement has improved traffic flow, reduced congestion and increased safety. The sophisticated layout offsets ramps on opposite sides of the highway and creates new links between major cross streets.

“Business and residential areas previously isolated from each other by the freeway are now joined,” says Majeune. “Commerce and community unity have been enhanced to a significant degree. The new alignment should definitely benefit businesses along Mark Dabling, Nevada, Corporate Drive and Rockrimmon. We expect the city will reap real economic benefits from the changes. Traffic, including pedestrians and bicycles, can now move in ways that did not previously exist.”

Gateway Upgrades Few people realize that the Bijou Bridge, dubbed the “Gateway to Downtown Colorado Springs,” is actually three separate bridges, all built at different times. The original two-lane roadway, erected by the city in 1937, spans Monument Creek and the railroad tracks. It was expanded to four lanes in 1954, with the addition of a two-lane bridge running parallel to the first.

In order to accommodate the increased traffic load through fast-growing Colorado Springs, CDOT broke ground on the four-lane Monument Valley Freeway (now I-25) in 1959. That’s when a third bridge was added to Bijou to carry the four-lane road over the highway and into downtown.

As the most visible structure erected during COSMIX and also the most historic, Bijou received special attention from the designers and planners. Where most of the other bridges carry mainline I-25 over local roads, Bijou crosses above the highway at right angles.

The State Historic Preservation Office and CDOT participated in a coordinated effort to maintain aesthetic and historic continuity between the bridge and Monument Valley Park, the park’s charming entry arch, WPA retaining wall and St. Mary’s Cathedral.

The city of Colorado Springs contributed $10 million to cover replacement of the Monument Creek-railroad portion of the Bijou Bridge and the extension of Corporate Drive to Nevada Avenue, further north.

Important Extras New amenities include street lamps, railings and streetscaping designed to blend with those previously installed throughout downtown; dedicated bicycle lanes; landscaped transition zones to connecting streets; and a warm color palette that blends with native terrain and cultural features.

The Bijou Bridge was completely shut down in January 2007 for demolition and rebuilding. In exchange, the public benefitted from a fast turnaround. The new and significantly improved bridge reopened to traffic a mere nine months later, in October.

“Rockrimmon Constructors shortened the duration of the closure by means of a very aggressive schedule and a good phasing plan,” Poling says.

“The Bijou closure, detours and lane shifts were well tolerated by the public because people could see significant progress being made, week to week. Feedback has been positive.”

Besides widening the bridge from four lanes to six, reconstruction improved drainage under the bridge,an area subject to frequent flooding, and raised the roadbed to eliminate a traffic-slowing dip. An annoying and unnecessary kink in the roadway was likewise eliminated.

The pace of future work will be driven largely by the availability of funding. Although nothing is currently in the pipeline, I-25 through Colorado Springs still requires more than $400 million in improvements.

Projects awaiting a go-ahead include the widening I-25 between Colorado Springs and Monument, reconstruction of the Cimarron-U.S. 24 interchange south of Bijou, reconstruction of the Fillmore interchange, plus reconstruction of a handful of other interchanges on the city’s outskirts.

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