Denver Will See Busy Summer Highway Construction Season

The Colorado Department of Transportation has engineered an active highway construction season, with nearly $325 million in construction projects happening this summer and fall.

CDOT Plans for Busy Summer Construction Season

The Colorado Department of Transportation has an active construction season scheduled for Denver and the surrounding area this summer and fall.

CDOT will have at least of 29 active construction projects in the Denver metro area alone and another 13 just outside it. In all, the 42 projects total approximately $325 million; of that total, $152 million is being used to improve highways in the metro area.

Unlike previous years, CDOT does not have a large number of resurfacing projects under way. Only $16 million in resurfacing projects will take place in the metro area this summer, including:

• Wadsworth Boulevard (S.H. 121) from 66th Avenue to 90th Avenue;

• I-76 from U.S. Highway 85 to the Burlington Canal;

• State Highway 93 from S.H. 58 to 58th Avenue;

• Interstate 70 from U.S. Highway 40 to Colfax Avenue;

• 6th Avenue (U.S. Highway 6) from 19th Street in Golden to Colfax Avenue;

• Havana Street (S.H. 30) from Parker Road to Florida Avenue;

New Road Works

In addition to the seven resurfacing projects, 12 new projects have started or will be starting soon, including:

• I-70 at S.H. 58: This $23-million project constructs the missing ramp from eastbound I-70 to westbound S.H. 58 and from eastbound 58 to westbound I-70. Several other ramps will also be realigned and I-70 will be widened over Clear Creek. The project, which began in February, will continue through March 2009.

• C-470 at Morrison Road and I-70 at I-25: This $576,000 expansion joint repair project, which finished in May, included work on two bridges.

• S.H. 58 over 44th Avenue: A 36-year-old bridge will be replaced with this $8.5-million project, which began in May and will continue through November 2008.

• I-70 from Brighton Boulevard to Colorado Boulevard: This is the second project to repair and replace expansion joints on this 40-plus-year-old viaduct. Fifty-four expansion joints will be repaired or replaced as part of the $20-million project, which will run from August through spring 2010.

• I-76 from Sheridan Boulevard to I-25: This $810,000 project will install cable guardrail in the median of I-76 to help prevent crossover accidents. It will run this month through September.

• Federal Boulevard (U.S. Highway 287) at 80th Avenue: This $4.5-million safety improvement project will widen Federal Boulevard and 80th Avenue to accommodate new double left-turn movements from northbound Federal to westbound 80th and a new right turn lane from southbound Federal to westbound 80th. It will run from August through summer 2008.

Continuing Projects

Several projects that were under way last summer or fall will continue into this year’s construction season, with six of them wrapping up this year:

• Speer Boulevard at I-25: This $6.6-million project modifies 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 and the bridge rail will be repaired along Speer. The project is expected to finish in August.

• 120th Avenue at Wadsworth Boulevard: This project realigns and reconstructs the 120th Avenue/Wadsworth Boulevard intersection. The reconstruction will add a turn lane from eastbound 120th to northbound Wadsworth and from northbound Wadsworth to westbound 120th. Auxiliary lanes will also be added to and from U.S. Highway 36. The $3.9-million project will finish this month.

• 16th Street at I-25: Although the $3.7-million Highland Bridge has been open to pedestrian and bicycle traffic for the last couple of months, crews are still installing railing and other minor items. The project will finish this month.

• U.S. Highway 285 over Willow Springs and Turkey Creek Road: This $5.1-million project replaces the structurally deficient northbound and southbound U.S. 285 bridges over Willow Springs and Turkey Creek roads. Work will finish in November.

• C-470 from Broadway to Wadsworth Boulevard: Finished last month, this $1.1-million safety improvement project installed cable guardrail in the median of C-470 to help prevent crossover accidents. It will finish in May.

• Simms at U.S. 6, S.H. 58 at Ford Street and I-76 at the Union Pacific Railroad: This $1.1-million maintenance project—set to finish this month—rehabilitates the bridge decks at three locations in the Denver metro area. Two of the three bridges decks have been repaired and crews are working on the I-76 bridge. 

• Wadsworth Boulevard at Grandview Avenue: The $32-million project constructs a grade-separated intersection and rotomills and paves Wadsworth Boulevard in concrete. The project will continue through August 2008.

High Country Cone Zones

• High country travelers will experience cone zones along I-70 West and U.S. Highway 6 in Clear Creek Canyon, including these projects:

• I-70 from Morrison Road to Chief Hosa: The $5.6-million project will repave I-70 in asphalt. It will run this month through November.

• I-70 east of Idaho Springs: This $1.1-million project will install new tunnel and approach lighting in the Twin Tunnels east of Idaho Springs. It began in April and will continue through August.

Along the Front Range

Travelers heading to Colorado Springs or Fort Collins will also encounter several projects along I-25 just outside the Denver metro area:

• I-25 from Larkspur to Tomah Road: This $5.3-million project will repave I-25 in asphalt, replace guardrail and install a new anti-icing system on the southbound I-25 bridge near Upper Lake Gulch Road. It began last month and will run through August.

• I-25 from Founders/Meadow Parkway to 5th Street: This project widens and reconstructs I-25 from four to six lanes. The $18.9-million project began last August and will continue through March 2008.

• I-25 at RidgeGate Parkway: This $21-million project will construct a new interchange one mi. south of Lincoln Avenue, designed to lessen congestion at the Lincoln Avenue interchange and allow CDOT to close the Schweiger and Surrey Ridge interchange in the future. Work will begin in July and continue through April 2009.