CDOT set to start next project of New Pueblo Freeway plan next summer
The Colorado Department of Transportation plans to start construction on a second project from its New Pueblo Freeway initiative next summer.
The $160 million project will reconstruct the Interstate 25 and Highway 50 interchange into a diverging diamond intersection, away from its current form as a trumpet interchange.
Also part of the project is realigning I-25 and rebuilding the ramps and interchange at exit 100A, among other bridge replacements along the corridor, said Jennifer Sparks, south program engineer for CDOT.
The New Pueblo Freeway initiative was conceived several years ago to “improve safety by addressing deteriorating roadways and bridges and unsafe road characteristics on I-25.” It also seeks to “improve local and regional mobility within and through the city to meet existing and future travel demands.”
Construction on the latest project is estimated to last at least a few years.
“It’s just an exciting time in Pueblo County for the next phase of the New Pueblo Freeway to get started,” said Amber Shipley, a spokesperson for CDOT.
Sparks said contractors will make an effort to minimize the project’s traffic impacts to commuters.
The project is also expected to address the interchange’s height. Currently, it’s 16 feet in the northbound lanes and 15 feet in the southbound sections because of its slope, Shipley said. But adjustments should make it more “safe and efficient” for freight traffic, Sparks said.
A truck driver traveling southbound Wednesday struck a portion of the bridge around 4:15 p.m., causing a delay because concrete debris fell on the roadway.
The collision also damaged a girder on the bridge, Shipley said. CDOT cleared the debris and assessed the damage before they deemed the roadway was safe for travel. They reopened the area at 6:14 p.m.
The driver, who is from Texas, didn’t have the proper permits and was cited for careless driving, said Frank Ortega, spokesperson for the Pueblo Police Department.
Shipley said the bridge has been hit before, generally when truck drivers with vehicles of a certain height don’t take the route they were assigned. Typically, those drivers are rerouted to use Highway 50 and later Pueblo Boulevard so they can avoid a collision and get back on the interstate.
“It’s not the total reason for replacement,” Shipley said. “There’s a lot of other strategies in that new interchange, but it will certainly help address that issue.”
More: Colorado State Patrol looking for vehicle involved in hit and run on Highway 50
Chieftain reporter Josue Perez can be reached at JHPerez@gannett.com. Follow him on X, formerly Twitter, at @josuepwrites. Support local news, subscribe to The Pueblo Chieftain at subscribe.chieftain.com.
This article originally appeared on The Pueblo Chieftain: CDOT to start next project of New Pueblo Freeway plan next summer
