Will North I-25 Express Lanes construction be done before Christmas? Here's what CDOT says

After more than five years of construction, the $750 million North I-25 Express Lanes project finally has a completion timeline.

All three lanes in each direction, two general purpose and one toll lane, will open from Berthoud to Fort Collins in mid-December.

"That is at the very latest, and we are hoping to get it open even sooner," said Jared Fiel, Colorado Department of Transportation's Northeast Region spokesperson. "That would give drivers an early holiday present and make it a whole lot easier to get to grandma's house."

Fiel said the last two major tasks include installing overhead signs and restriping sections of the nearly 19-mile project. Multiple nighttime lane closures of Interstate 25 are scheduled for sign installation over the next three weeks.

He said the three lanes between Johnstown and Berthoud may open sooner than the project's northern sections because construction will wrap up sooner, which will allow contractors to remove equipment.

"It will be odd for a couple weeks initially with those lanes open and others not, but it will give some breathing room for drivers," Fiel said.

When will tolling begin on the North I-25 Express Lanes project?

Drivers will be able to use the toll lane for free at least until spring 2024, Fiel said. That's when he said tolling devices are scheduled to be installed.

Fiel said that also is when equipment to detect drivers illegally weaving in and out of toll lanes will be installed.

Will this conclude construction on I-25 between Fort Collins and Denver?

Unfortunately, no.

Construction will start on the stretch of I-25 from Colorado Highway 56 (Berthoud) to Colorado Highway 66 (Longmont-Mead area) in spring.

That stretch will mirror the section from Berthoud to Fort Collins with two general purpose lanes and one toll lane in each direction.

"We realize to drivers it will feel like there is perpetual construction on I-25,'' Fiel said. "But in four years, we will have three lanes from Fort Collins to Denver, which is pretty darn huge.''

Mulberry Street/Colorado Highway 14 and I-25 interchange could see changes

Fiel previously told the Coloradoan the interchange is on the agency's 10-year plan with a full build-out at an estimated $60 million.

However, there is no funding for the project and no specific timetable. Flooding near the interchange is one issue that will need to be addressed.

The interchange was originally part of the North I-25 Express Lanes project but was removed due to funding prioritization, among other considerations, including that the bridge deck was renovated around 2017, extending the life of the bridge over I-25.

This article originally appeared on Fort Collins Coloradoan: Will north I-25 construction be done before Christmas? What we know