Final I-225 Widening Project Begins with Bridge Demolition That Will Close I-225 This Weekend

May 9, 2012 - TRAFFIC ADVISORY - Denver Metro Colorado/CDOT Region 6 - AURORA—The Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT) and the Regional Transportation District (RTD) have begun a safety and capacity improvement project that will widen I-225 between Mississippi Avenue and Parker Road to accommodate three lanes in each direction with an additional auxiliary lane.

In addition, the Yale Avenue bridge over I-225 will be replaced and other minor roadway elements will be completed to accommodate RTD’s extension of light rail from Parker Road to Iliff Avenue. The project begins with the demolition of the Yale Avenue bridge this weekend, resulting in full closures of I-225 and the closure of Yale Avenue over I-225.

“This project will complete the widening of I-225 between I-25 and I-70, eliminating the bottleneck near Mississippi Avenue and completing the improvements identified in the Environmental Assessment that wrapped up in 2000,” said Region Transportation Director Reza Akhavan.  “This is a significant accomplishment for CDOT and Colorado’s transportation system as it provides a tremendous benefit for the 115,000 vehicles that drive this stretch of I-225 every day.”

The first major milestone of the project will demolish the Yale Avenue bridge over I-225.  As a result, Yale Avenue will close at midnight tonight (Wednesday/Thursday) and will remain closed until early December 2012 while crews construct the new bridge. The bridge demolition will take place this weekend.

To complete the bridge demolition, there will be a full closure of northbound and southbound I-225 between Parker Road and Iliff Avenue on Friday, May 11th and Saturday, May 12th as follows:

  • Friday May 11th- All lanes of northbound and southbound I-225 between Parker Road and Iliff Avenue will be closed from 9 p.m. Friday until 6 a.m. on Saturday.
  • Saturday May 12th- All lanes of northbound and southbound I-225 between Parker Road and Iliff Avenue will be closed from 8 p.m. Saturday until 10 a.m. on Sunday.

During the closures, motorists on southbound I-225 will exit onto Iliff Avenue and travel west to Peoria Street and then over to Parker Road where access to southbound I-225 is available.

Motorists on northbound I-225 will exit onto Parker Road and travel west/north to Peoria Street and then over to Iliff Avenue where access to northbound I-225 is available.

Major delays are expected and alternate routes are strongly advised.  CDOT would like to remind motorists to obey all construction signs and flaggers and to “Slow for the Cone Zone.”

Fines for most infractions that occur in the work zone will be doubled.

SEMA Construction Co. is the contractor of this $43 million project scheduled to be complete by the end of April 2014. The project is being funded by CDOT and RTD.

To receive e-mail updates about the project, visit www.coloradodot.info and click on the icon in the upper right-hand corner.  The link will take you to a list of items you can subscribe to including the I-225 Widening project listed under “Projects.” You can also learn more about the project by visiting the website at http://www.coloradodot.info/projects/i-225-widening.