US$250 million Colorado construction contract commences

Construction work is now underway in Colorado for the US$250 million segment 5 of the I-25 North Express Lanes Project. This stretch of the project is to the north of Denver and will widen the highway with additional lanes between Mead and Berthoud. Completion of work this 10km section of the highway is due in 2028, providing more than two lanes from Denver to Fort Collins in both directions.

Construction is being overseen by the Colorado Department of Transportation and is intended to reduce congestion and journey times while increasing safety for drivers. The work is being carried out jointly by Ralph  Wadsworth Construction and Sema Construction.

This project will expand I-25, from Colorado Highway 66 in Mead and connect to the newly built portion of I-25 just south of CO 56 in Berthoud.

The work forms part of a wider programme of improvements to a 32km stretch of I-25 carried out over the past. According to CODOT, the project will reduce congestion, vehicle accidents, fatalities and greenhouse gas emissions while improving trip reliability and freight efficiency, increasing user choice by adding an Express Lane in both directions and improving ageing infrastructure.

During construction, two lanes of traffic on I-25 will be maintained in each direction during peak travel times, but drivers can expect overnight lane closures in the area. In addition, lane and shoulder widths will be minimised.

In addition the work will improve bicycle, pedestrian and transit connectivity, widen the inside roadway shoulder to 3m and the outside roadway shoulder to 3.6m. There will be a full reconstruction of the I-25 and Weld County Road 34 interchange. The bridges along this section of I-25 will be rebuilt, including Weld County Road 32, Weld County Road 34, I-25 over the Great Western Railway, Weld County Road 38 and I-25 over Valley Road.

The project will reconstruct I-25 to add one 3.6m Express Lane in each direction from CO 66 to just south of CO 56 with a 1.2m painted buffer separating the tolled Express Lane from the general purpose travel lanes. And also includes the installation and integration of tolling and Intelligent Transportation Systems equipment.