Roadwork underway to improve 3 intersections off Colorado Highway 7 in Lafayette
The Colorado Department of Transportation is working with Zak Dirt of Mead to improve intersections in Lafayette.
CDOT says critical safety improvements are needed along Highway 7 at Willow Creek Drive, Park Lake Drive and Arapahoe Road. Crews say there is a lot of traffic that travels there during rush hour, so safer roads are essential. The traffic hits its peak in the westbound lanes in the morning and eastbound lanes in the evenings. CDOT crews say this results in unreliable travel times and safety concerns around each of these intersections.
CDOT says to fix these roads, the intersections at Willow Creek and Park Lake will receive dedicated left-turn lanes to separate turning traffic from the through lanes and improve safety and flow. The larger intersection at CO 7 and CO 42, also known as Arapahoe Road and 95th Street, will gain additional east-west travel lanes, longer turn lanes, and new transit-priority lanes for Regional Transportation District services. These improvements will create a modern, safer transportation corridor that will better support growing multimodal travel volume.
"This is an extremely important transportation corridor for commuters in Boulder County, and these improvements will create safer, more reliable intersection access for all modes of travel," said CDOT Northeast Regional Transportation Director Heather Paddock. "Better yet, these improvements will also support local businesses and create new, stronger connections to the surrounding community."
There will be even more improvements, including expanded bus platforms with lighting and ticket machines, 12-foot-wide shared-use paths, signalized pedestrian crossings and improved connections to nearby neighborhoods, businesses and existing walking and bicycling networks. Crews say pre-construction activities have been focused on utility relocations and preparing and clearing work areas for installation of temporary paved lanes on CO 7. Erosion control measures were installed ahead of project work. Construction of intersection improvements will immediately follow utility relocation completion.
The beginning stages of project work are starting right now at the intersection of CO 7 and Willow Creek. Crews will remove curbs and ramps to prepare for upgrades and updates to drainage for the Dry Creek Davidson Ditch crossing. While the work is underway, traffic on CO 7 will be shifted to temporary paved lanes to the south to minimize travel impacts. Temporary barriers will be in place, and flaggers may be on site to help guide traffic.
Similar traffic shifts to the south should be anticipated near the intersection of CO 7 and Park Lake as work progresses in late 2026. Traffic shifts at the intersection of CO 7 and CO 42 will begin in early 2027. The project is anticipated to be completed in late 2027.
This $16.2 million project is made possible due to CDOT 10-year plan funds, Denver Regional Council of Governments' Subregional Share program funds, FASTER safety funds, and an additional $1.3 million local contribution from Boulder County.
