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I-25 Weekend Closure Will Foul Traffic, CDOT Says Avoid It

CDOT
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Flickr - used with permission
A CDOT cone zone.

Two major construction projects along I-25 in the Denver area will cause traffic headaches August 8 to August 11, but they’re intended to ease backups in the long run.

The Colorado Department of Transportation is creating a fourth northbound lane between Santa Fe Drive and US 6 in Denver, a notorious bottle neck. CDOT will close both directions of I-25 in that area at 10 p.m. Friday. The road will be open at 8 a.m. Saturday, but another full closure will happen Saturday evening, lasting through Monday at 5 a.m.

“We can’t emphasize this strongly enough: avoid this area of I-25 during these closures if at all possible,” said Kevin Sullivan, CDOT Project Director. “We expect extensive backups, prolonged travel delays and excessive traffic congestion if traffic numbers reach normal Sunday volumes.”

When I-25 reopens, CDOT said the fourth lane will be ready for motorists to use.

Traffic snarls won’t be limited to just downtown Denver. A single lane closure along southbound I-25 between 84th Avenue and Thornton Parkway will also heavily impact travel north of the city. CDOT’s Amy Ford said that closure is part of an express lane expansion project.

“The work that we’re going to do at that point is lower I-25 underneath the 88th Avenue Bridge and that gives us more room to start adding in these expressways,” said Ford.

With both projects happening at the same time, CDOT advises motorists to avoid the highway all together using I-225, I-70, US 285 and C-470.

Here is CDOT’s detour routes between Santa Fe Drive and US 6:

Northbound I-25 will detour to northbound Santa Fe Drive, continue north to 8th< Avenue, west on 8th Avenue to Kalamath Street, and south on Kalamath Street to westbound US 6 to reconnect with northbound I-25. Southbound I-25 will detour west on US 6 to Federal Boulevard, south on Federal Boulevard to 5th Avenue to merge onto eastbound US 6, and east on US 6 to reconnect with southbound I-25. There could also be delays along eastbound US 6 near I-25 with additional traffic following this detour route. Northbound Santa Fe Drive: In conjunction with this closure, northbound Santa Fe Drive will close just south of I-25 over the weekend, with traffic detoured on Mississippi Avenue to northbound Broadway and eventually Lincoln Street. Access to businesses along Santa Fe Drive will be available via Alameda Avenue. Detour signage will guide commuters through the area.

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