Windsor eyes widening heavily traveled section of Colorado Highway 392 near Interstate 25

The town of Windsor is ready to bite off two more pieces of the commuter-heavy Colorado Highway 392 pie.

Those two pieces include widening Colorado 392 between 17th Street and Colorado Boulevard (Weld County Road 13) and from Colorado Boulevard to Highland Meadows Parkway.

Last year, the town spent $2.5 million to add through lanes, turn lanes and bike lanes at the intersection of Colorado 392 and Larimer County Road 5, which is just east of Interstate 25.

This intersection has seen increased traffic since Kechter Road, an east-west road to the north that connects County Road 5 to Fort Collins, was closed Oct. 1. The closure was to allow for replacement of the road's bridge over I-25 and construction of a roundabout west of the interstate.

Kechter Road is expected to reopen within the next two weeks.

Colorado 392 sees heavy congestion during certain times of the day because it narrows from two lanes in each direction to one lane along the 2-mile stretch between 17th Street and Highland Meadows Parkway.

"There is major impact to traffic times during peak morning and afternoon times along the highway,'' said Omar Herrera, town of Windsor civil engineer. "Right now it's a bottleneck along that stretch in places.''

Here is a look at the two projects, which are being done in conjunction with the Colorado Department of Transportation.

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This half-mile stretch on the west side of town will add through lanes to match up with the two lanes in each direction from 17th Street east, Herrera said.

He said the estimated cost will be $2.7 million and include relocation of a sewer line. He said construction on the section could start as soon as this summer.

Last year, the town spent $875,000 to add left turn lanes at the Colorado 392 and Colorado Boulevard intersection.

At the same time, a pedestrian/bike trail crossing was improved to connect the trail around Kyger Open Space south to the Poudre Trail. The cost of a bridge over the Poudre River on the west side of Colorado Boulevard cost $678,063 and the trail along Colorado Boulevard $365,875, according to the town.

Also last year, the town spent $100,000 on a trail along Colorado 392 from Colorado Boulevard to 17th Street.

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This 1.5-mile section is much trickier than the section to the east because of the Poudre River and flood plain implications.

This would complete Colorado 392 being two lanes in each direction from I-25 into Windsor, which would alleviate the bottlenecks Herrera mentioned.

Herrera said the town is also looking at adding a 10-foot wide multiuse path next to Colorado 392 that would connect to the Poudre Trail, possibly where the trail currently runs underneath the highway just west of the Poudre River bridge.

Hererra said the conceptual estimate for the entire project is at least $20 million. He said no funding has been secured and that the town would look at state and federal grants to help fund the project. He said the project is likely three to five years out.

Windsor Mayor Paul Rennemeyer previously told the Coloradoan a 10-foot-wide concrete trail along that section of Colorado 392 would cost at least $3 million. He said the high cost is because of Americans with Disabilities Act requirements and switchbacks necessitated by the steepness of a hill from Larimer County Road 3 on the east side of Ptarmigan Country Club to the Poudre River.

That trail section has been a town priority to connect west Windsor to downtown and is in the town's master trails plan, Rennemeyer said.

"There is a lot of environmental permitting that needs to take place because of the river,'' Herrera said. "Sometime next year we hope to have a better idea of the cost of the project and then progress so when funds become available we have a shovel-ready project.''

This week, data is being collected along this section to survey the land, locate utilities and take soil and pavement sampling. The work will help town staff determine the next steps for the widening project and help set a timeline for work.

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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: Windsor eyes widening commuter-heavy section of Colorado Highway 392