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U.S. 85 project receives $7 million
The project to widen U.S. 85 from Highlands Ranch to Castle Rock got an unexpected $7 million infusion Dec. 22, 2003.
On that day, Gov. Bill Owens released $111 million to pay for priority transportation projects and other statewide projects.
By By: Sean Hadden
The project to widen U.S. 85 from Highlands Ranch to Castle Rock got an unexpected $7 million infusion Dec. 22, 2003.
On that day, Gov. Bill Owens released $111 million to pay for priority transportation projects and other statewide projects.
The extra $7 million will be used to expand U.S. 85 to four lanes from West Lakeside Drive to the Titan Road interchange, said Colorado Department of Transportation spokesman Bob Wilson.
CDOT has been widening the highway a little at a time as money becomes available, he said.
Most recently, crews have been seen working on the expansion at the intersection of U.S. 85 and Colorado 67 in Sedalia.
The entire highway has been redesigned as a four-lane, separated highway from Highlands Ranch to Castle Rock, with work progressing as money is available, Wilson said.
Money recently became available for the section from Highlands Ranch Parkway to West Lakeside Drive, and construction of that section is scheduled to begin in summer 2004, he said.
Wilson said it has not been decided yet whether the two sections of U.S. 85 will now be expanded in tandem.
He said it might make sense to build straight from one into the other.
Each section should take about 10 months to expand, Wilson said.
U.S. 85 is a high priority for expansion because the number of cars travelling the road rose sharply throughout the 1990s and early 2000s, Wilson said.
He added that increasing traffic has led to some fatal accidents, which have contributed to a sense of urgency concerning the separation and widening of U.S. 85.
"There have been accidents that have not been pretty," Wilson said.
The two-lane nature of the highway, coupled with the skyrocketing traffic, tends to increase the potential for head-on collisions, he said.
One such accident in Sedalia was the impetus for beginning improvements to that section of road sooner, Wilson said.
Initially, construction of both sections will not impede traffic, he said.
Additional lanes will be built to the east of the present roadway, Wilson said. When those lanes are complete, traffic will be diverted onto them from the lanes that exist now.
Then, the existing lanes will be repaved and the road will be opened as a four-lane, separated highway, he said.
Construction of both sections will also involve the construction of retaining walls to separate Chatfield Estates and the railroad from the larger highway, Wilson said.
Some power and water lines must also be moved, he said.
Wilson said CDOT is thrilled to be able to hasten such a high-priority project.
"We're really excited about the extra money," he said.
The $7 million came from federal funds received through the Jobs and Growth Tax Relief Reconciliation Act of 2003, a press release from Owens' office said.
By By: Sean Hadden
The project to widen U.S. 85 from Highlands Ranch to Castle Rock got an unexpected $7 million infusion Dec. 22, 2003.
On that day, Gov. Bill Owens released $111 million to pay for priority transportation projects and other statewide projects.
The extra $7 million will be used to expand U.S. 85 to four lanes from West Lakeside Drive to the Titan Road interchange, said Colorado Department of Transportation spokesman Bob Wilson.
CDOT has been widening the highway a little at a time as money becomes available, he said.
Most recently, crews have been seen working on the expansion at the intersection of U.S. 85 and Colorado 67 in Sedalia.
The entire highway has been redesigned as a four-lane, separated highway from Highlands Ranch to Castle Rock, with work progressing as money is available, Wilson said.
Money recently became available for the section from Highlands Ranch Parkway to West Lakeside Drive, and construction of that section is scheduled to begin in summer 2004, he said.
Wilson said it has not been decided yet whether the two sections of U.S. 85 will now be expanded in tandem.
He said it might make sense to build straight from one into the other.
Each section should take about 10 months to expand, Wilson said.
U.S. 85 is a high priority for expansion because the number of cars travelling the road rose sharply throughout the 1990s and early 2000s, Wilson said.
He added that increasing traffic has led to some fatal accidents, which have contributed to a sense of urgency concerning the separation and widening of U.S. 85.
"There have been accidents that have not been pretty," Wilson said.
The two-lane nature of the highway, coupled with the skyrocketing traffic, tends to increase the potential for head-on collisions, he said.
One such accident in Sedalia was the impetus for beginning improvements to that section of road sooner, Wilson said.
Initially, construction of both sections will not impede traffic, he said.
Additional lanes will be built to the east of the present roadway, Wilson said. When those lanes are complete, traffic will be diverted onto them from the lanes that exist now.
Then, the existing lanes will be repaved and the road will be opened as a four-lane, separated highway, he said.
Construction of both sections will also involve the construction of retaining walls to separate Chatfield Estates and the railroad from the larger highway, Wilson said.
Some power and water lines must also be moved, he said.
Wilson said CDOT is thrilled to be able to hasten such a high-priority project.
"We're really excited about the extra money," he said.
The $7 million came from federal funds received through the Jobs and Growth Tax Relief Reconciliation Act of 2003, a press release from Owens' office said.
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