CDOT Begins Safety Improvement Project on US 285 Next Week

DENVER - On Wednesday, January 20th, the Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT) will begin a safety and mobility improvement project on US 285 between Federal Boulevard and Kipling Street.  The $40.1 million design-build project will reconstruct Hampden Avenue and replace three bridges among other improvements.

"Much of the pavement along this corridor is in poor condition and must be completely replaced in order to restore the service life of the roadway," said CDOT Project Manager Tony Gross.  "We also have three bridges in poor condition that must be replaced.  By reconstructing and replacing these elements of our highway system, we will greatly improve an infrastructure that has deteriorated over the years."

Construction will begin near the Hampden Avenue and Federal Boulevard interchange and move west.  In the first few weeks of construction, Hampden Avenue will be realigned to allow crews to reconstruct the median.  In the temporary configuration, all lanes of US 285 will remain open, but westbound traffic will be realigned to the north and eastbound traffic will be realigned to the south.

"During construction, we will always have two lanes of Hampden Avenue open in each direction, except for major activities such as bridge demolition, girder installation and traffic realignments which will take place during the late evening," added Gross.  "In addition, we will have emergency pullouts throughout the construction zone and courtesy patrol on site during peak hours and major construction activities to help remove disabled vehicles and keep traffic moving."

CDOT would like to remind motorists to obey all traffic signs and flaggers and to "Slow for the Cone Zone." The speed limit will be reduced throughout the construction zone and fines for speeding and other infractions that occur in the work zone will be doubled.

In all, the project will make the following improvements:

• Reconstruct approximately four miles of Hampden Avenue between Federal Boulevard and Kipling Parkway
• Replace the bridges on Hampden Avenue over Wadsworth Boulevard, Pierce Street and Federal Boulevard
• Add additional through lanes and reconstruct the Hampden Avenue/Wadsworth Boulevard intersection
• Rehabilitate the bridge decks on Hampden Avenue over Estes Street, Bear Creek, Raleigh Street and Sheridan Boulevard
• Widen the inside shoulder of Hampden Avenue between Wadsworth Boulevard and Sheridan Boulevard
• Add an additional left turn lane from southbound Knox Court to eastbound Hampden Avenue
• Construct drainage and water quality improvements to accommodate potential future widening or other construction projects

Concrete Express Inc. and Tsiouvaras, Simmons, and Holderness, Inc. is the design-build team for this project that will be completed by the end of June 2011.

For more information about this project, visit http://www.coloradodot.info/projects/us285wadsdb.