I-25 & Arapahoe Improvements To Cost $66 Million
CENTENNIAL, Colo. (CBS4)- The improvements at Interstate 25 and Arapahoe Road will cost $66 million and greatly improve traffic flow in the area.
"I remember when Arapahoe Road was a road people traveled for fun... not now, not now," said Centennial resident Donna Senn.
With the increasing traffic in that area, the Colorado Department of Transportation plans a major upgrade for the off ramp in the southbound lanes from I-25 to Arapahoe Road. Construction is scheduled to begin in early May.
That means the already congested area will be even more congested before drivers see improvements.
"On Interstate 25 you're going to have significant lane shifts through the area. So if you're traveling I-25 you're going to find reduced speed limits," said CDOT project spokesman Bob Wilson.
In 2005 CDOT said an average of 201,000 vehicles traveled north and south on I-25 in the area of Arapahoe Road. Just a little more than a decade later, that number has grown to 323,000 with more than 100,000 getting off the interstate onto Arapahoe Road daily.
CDOT is banking on improvements to the I-25 ramps to help prevent backups.
"We're going to add turn lanes on the bottom of the ramps to head eastbound on Arapahoe Road. Right now there are two turn lanes, there will be a third turn lane," said Wilson. "Also the southbound ramp will be extended."
The pillars separating traffic on the I-25 overpass on Arapahoe Road will also be removed.
"That will remove a lot of that visual clutter that can create safety issues for people," said Wilson.
The question many residents have is whether these improvements will last another decade or if more will be needed in the future.
"Right now I don't know if there's a guesstimate of how long these improvements will help out," said Wilson.