Some Pikes Peak regional road projects wrap up; construction along I-25 scheduled through 2024
Dec. 21—Road crews will be clearing off Colorado 94 and the road to Fort Carson Gate 19 as construction wraps up, while more concrete barriers and orange cones are in store for Interstate 25 south of Academy Boulevard through 2024.
The projects are part of a $161 million investment in roads announced in 2020 that brought together several distinct roadway needs under one umbrella and all are intended to improve access to local military bases, address congestion and prevent traffic deaths, state officials said previously.
As part of the project, Charter Oak Ranch Road that leads to Fort Carson's Gate 19 has been transformed from asphalt so badly degraded it looked like gravel to fresh blacktop, said Dan Hunt, resident engineer with the Colorado Department of Transportation. Crews also put in new drainage infrastructure, including settling ponds, and a retaining wall that prevented the road from needing additional right of way, he said.
The newly paved El Paso County road, an $11 million project, is meant to ease congestion at Fort Carson's Gate 20 where traffic can be an issue in the mornings and evenings.
Fort Carson expects Gate 19 will be a good commuting option for Fountain residents, where a large portion of its workforce lives. The base expects to complete traffic counts in January to get a better sense of use at the gate, spokeswoman Brandy Gill said.
The installation finished work on Essayons Road on the other side of Gate 19 last December. The newly paved road connects the gate to the rest of the post. Previously, there wasn't a road to the gate open for drivers because of airfield fencing.
Along Colorado 94, on the way out to Schriever Space Force Base, roadwork also is nearly complete, Hunt said. Along the highway, CDOT put in a new passing lane to help ensure garbage trucks headed for the landfill off Blaney Road don't slow down eastbound traffic as much. Major intersection improvements at Blaney Road are also largely complete, and all that remains are new traffic signals, Hunt said.
The most significant aspects of the work, widening I-25 from South Academy Boulevard to Santa Fe Avenue and replacing the two bridges over South Academy, are about 40%-45% complete, Hunt said.
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CDOT is not adding lanes along the interstate corridor because an environmental assessment hasn't been completed for that work, but crews are putting in significantly wider shoulders for safety. Rather than the standard 10-foot outside shoulder and 4-foot inside shoulder, crews are putting in 12-foot shoulders on either side of the road, he said. Additional lanes are "pretty far down the road," he said.
Work along the interstate will slow down in the winter because low temperatures can interfere with paving work. For example, concrete must be placed on unfrozen ground, he said. In addition, many paving companies shut down their plants in winter.
Upcoming work to shift southbound interstate traffic to newly constructed southbound lanes, a move that will require alternating lane closures, was delayed this week and its timing could depend on temperatures, he said.
Along the interstate, crews are also planning to put in median barriers to prevent some of the most severe crashes when drivers have crossed into oncoming traffic.
"Most of that is — people fall asleep or they are on their phones or they are intoxicated," Hunt said.
Speed and safety through the corridor during construction is "a constant battle," Hunt said, and during a recent enforcement push by Colorado State Patrol numerous drivers were caught going over 100 mph.
He encouraged drivers to abide by the lower 55 mph speed limit in the construction zone.
Contact the writer at mary.shinn@gazette.com or 719-429-9264.
