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COSMIX Ends Its Busiest Year/Denver's Highland Bridge Opens
Scheduled to finish late this year, the $150 million Colorado Springs Metro Interstate Expansion – better known as COSMIX – will widen Interstate 25 through Colorado Springs, helping ease congestion along a stretch of highway that has seen a dramatic increase in traffic in the last five decades.
COSMIX Ends Its Busiest Construction Year
2006 was a year of milestones for the Colorado Department of Transportation and Rockrimmon Constructors on the COSMIX project in Colorado Springs.
The year started with a heavy construction schedule in all four segments of the $150 million project. The first major 2006 milestone was the opening of the third lane between Fillmore Street to Garden of the Gods Road in August. That same month, the Holiday Village noise wall was completed. Both signaled the substantial completion of the Fillmore to Garden of the Gods segment.
The largest segment of the project, the North Nevada/Rockrimmon segment, changed dramatically. In August, southbound Interstate 25 traffic was moved onto the new southbound frontage road, and in September northbound traffic was moved onto the new northbound frontage road to allow crews to begin construction of the I-25 mainline. The completion of the southbound frontage road also allowed COSMIX to reopen the southbound off-ramp to Rockrimmon Boulevard.
Despite October’s blizzard, crews were able to open the northbound third lane from Woodmen to Academy. The month also saw the start of work in the Cimarron to Bijou segment. During the remainder of the year, crews worked in this segment to prepare for the demolition of the Bijou Bridge.
2007 will continue to see heavy construction in the North Nevada/Rockrimmon and Bijou segments. The COSMIX project continues to stay on budget and is anticipated to be completed later this year – one year earlier than CDOT requested.
New Highland Pedestrian Bridge Opens in Denver
The Highland Bridge near downtown Denver opened to the public on Dec. 16, connecting Lower Downtown with the booming Highland neighborhood across I-25. Construction began in July 2005.
Located at 16th Street, the $4 million pedestrian bridge links Platte Street on the east side of the highway with Central Street on the west side. The structure features a triple rib arch that rises more than 70 ft above the ground and spans 320 ft.
Project partners included the City and County of Denver, U.S. Department of Transportation, CDOT, Denver Regional Council of Governments, Regional Transportation District, Carter & Burgess, Hamon Constructors and Clanton and Associates.
Dream of a Downtown Children’s Playground Set to Become a Reality
Ground was broken in December for the construction of the Downtown Children’s Playground at the intersection of Speer Boulevard and Wewatta Street across from the Pepsi Center.
For more than six years, the Lower Downtown Neighborhood Association has spearheaded the drive for a playground in its community and coordinated the fundraising to make it possible.
In partnership with the Greenway Foundation, Denver Parks and Recreation and Great Outdoors Colorado, funding was secured to start construction on the first phase of the project, which will be completed by June.
FHWA Grant Helps CDOT Strengthen DBE Participation
Thanks to a grant from the Federal Highway Administration, CDOT will begin a pilot program this year to improve the ability of disadvantaged business enterprises to compete for highway contracts.
Colorado is one of 20 states to win FHWA funding.
Twenty underused DBEs will participate in the two-year Business Opportunity and Workforce Development Program, which started last month. Participating companies will work with various subject matter experts to assess each firm’s strengths, weaknesses and business needs. A tailored program of technical assistance and targeted business and work-force development will be designed and delivered for each one. CDOT and several key industry partners will guide businesses through the process.
CDOT’s U.S. 285 Study Honored with National Award
The American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials presented CDOT with its Notable Practices Award for the U.S. Highway 285 Environmental Assessment in December. The award recognizes the best practices in context-sensitive solutions.
The project, which began in 2001, recommends safety and mobility improvements for U.S. Highway 285 between Foxton Road in Conifer and Fairplay. It developed into an EA study between Foxton Road and Bailey.
CDOT worked throughout the process to minimize impacts to wetlands and historic properties, reaching out to the public, natural resource agencies and environmental organizations. Community values were also incorporated. AASHTO’s context-sensitive solutions competition panel commended CDOT’s “great multi-disciplinary team, good communication tools and use of wildlife crossings.”
Final Phase of Key Interchange Project Begins
The final phase to improve the Interstate 25/U.S. Highway 36/I-76/I-270 interchange in Adams County is under way, moving CDOT one step closer to completing another of Colorado’s 28 Strategic Transportation Projects.
This last phase will construct a 2,200-ft flyover ramp from eastbound I-270 to eastbound Interstate 76. At the moment, the only way motorists can access eastbound I-76 from eastbound I-270 is through southbound I-25.
Identified as a Strategic Transportation Project in 1996 by the state Transportation Commission, the I-25/US 36/I-76/I-270 interchange was built in 10 phases, with construction of the first phase starting in 1993. This segment is the final phase of the $153.3 million, multi-phase project. When finished, it will be the 18th of the 28 projects to be completed.
Edward Kraemer & Sons Inc. is the contractor for the $14.7 million phase, expected to finish by the end of September 2008.
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