Interstate 25 and U.S. Highway 34 to fully close for North I-25 Express Lanes bridge work
It may be winter, but the North I-25 Express Lanes project plods on with impactful lane closures and lane changes starting this week.
Interstate 25 and U.S. Highway 34 will be fully closed at night Wednesday and Thursday to allow for bridge construction, according to the Colorado Department of Transportation.
The second section of the new U.S. 34 bridge over I-25 is currently under construction, and girders being set for the new south bridge will require closing both highways from 9 p.m. to 5 a.m. on both Wednesday night and Thursday night and again Jan. 17 and 18.
The north portion of the bridge was recently completed.
Detours will be in place:
I-25 traffic will be detoured up and over I-25 using Exit 257 at U.S. 34 during the closures.
Westbound U.S. 34 traffic will be detoured north on I-25 to Exit 259/Crossroads Boulevard. Turn left on Crossroads Boulevard and continue south on I-25 to Exit 257/ U.S. 34.
Eastbound U.S. 34 traffic will be detoured south on I-25 to Exit 255/Colorado Highway 402. Turn left on Colorado 402 and continue north on I-25 to Exit 257/U.S. 34.
Full closures of the northbound I-25 on-ramp from eastbound U.S. 34 will take place from 9 p.m. Jan. 19 until 5 a.m. Jan. 20, and again from 9 p.m. Jan. 20 until 5 a.m. Jan. 21.
Northbound I-25 on-ramp traffic from eastbound U.S. 34 will be detoured east on U.S. 34 to Centerra Parkway. Proceed north on Centerra Parkway to Crossroads Boulevard, go west on Crossroads Boulevard to the northbound I-25 on-ramp.
When complete, the new U.S. 34 bridge will add an additional through lane in each direction and tie into reconfigured I-25 on- and off-ramps for operational improvements.
North I-25 Express Lanes project: Why we are getting toll lanes
New I-25 segment opening
You likely have noticed the miles-long northbound I-25 on-ramp at Harmony Road over the past few months.
That on-ramp is set to be greatly shortened as early as Tuesday night, when CDOT expected to open the new northbound I-25 lanes from south of Harmony Road north to the existing ports of entry. This section includes the new Poudre River and Great Western Railway bridges.
The existing port of entries are in the process of being moved about a half mile south of their locations just south of Prospect Road to allow for improved traffic flow of semis merging from the port of entry onto I-25.
The new port of entry buildings under construction are visible at their new locations.
In the coming months, crews will begin working on the southbound bridges over the Poudre River and Great Western Railway line.
The $750 million North I-25 Express Lanes project started in 2018 and is expected to wrap up in 2023. It covers around 19 miles from the Berthoud exit to near the Colorado Highway 14 exit in north Fort Collins.
It includes adding an additional express (toll) lane in each direction, reconfigured interchanges, reconstruction of 18 bridges, a bus slip in the middle of I-25 as well as pedestrian and biking lanes.
Tolling is expected to start in May 2024.
Remaking of an interstate: New I-25 project requires tons of concrete for new lanes
North I-25 Express Lanes information
To stay informed with all the moving parts of the project, visit https://www.codot.gov/projects/north-i-25/johnstown-to-fort-collins, email the project team at northi25expresslanes@gmail.com or call 720-593-1996
Reporter Miles Blumhardt looks for stories that impact your life. Be it news, outdoors, sports — you name it, he wants to report it. Have a story idea? Contact him at milesblumhardt@coloradoan.com or on Twitter @MilesBlumhardt. Support his work and that of other Coloradoan journalists by purchasing a digital subscription today.
This article originally appeared on Fort Collins Coloradoan: Colorado Interstate 25, U.S. Highway 34 to close for bridge work
