Temporary closure of Niwot Road median between northbound and southbound CO 119/Diagonal Highway scheduled for March 25-30

Boulder County — As a part of the CO 119 Safety, Mobility and Bikeway Improvements Project, the Niwot Road median between northbound and southbound Colorado Highway 119/Diagonal Highway will be closed to all modes of transportation beginning Wednesday, March 25, at 7 p.m. to Monday, March 30, at 5 a.m. These closures are required for crews to complete signal work, final alignment striping, concrete paving operations and guardrail installation.

During these closures, Niwot Road and CO 119/Diagonal Highway will be configured as a right-in-right-out intersection. There will not be a separate signed detour in place for cyclists. Cyclists are encouraged to use an alternate route while the closures are in place.

Motorist detour:

• Westbound Niwot Road travelers will turn right onto northbound CO 119/Diagonal Highway, exit and turn left onto Airport Road, and turn left back onto southbound CO 119/Diagonal Highway to return to Niwot Road
• Eastbound Niwot Road travelers will turn right onto southbound CO 119/Diagonal Highway, turn left onto Colorado Highway 52 and left onto northbound CO 119/Diagonal Highway to return to Niwot Road

During the closure, the RTD bus stop on southbound CO 119 at Niwot Road (stop #18095) will be closed. The bus stop closure is required for the safety of the traveling public and project crews. Riders are advised to use the bus stop on southbound CO 119 at Monarch Road (stop #24826) during this time.

To complete construction work at the Niwot Road median with minimal impacts to travelers, the project team decided to close the median entirely for approximately five days. The alternative would be continuously shifting barriers and traffic flow around the operations for multiple weeks, extending the duration of the overall impacts to the Niwot Road and CO 119 intersection for all roadway users.

Work schedules are subject to change and can vary based on conditions.

What is the CO 119 Safety, Mobility and Bikeway Improvements Project?

By the year 2040, the Diagonal Highway between Boulder and Longmont is expected to see a 25% increase in vehicular traffic. Increased traffic can result in more congestion, delays, tailpipe emissions and potentially more crashes.

The CO 119 Safety, Mobility and Bikeway Project is constructing safety, mobility and bikeway improvements to make traveling through the corridor safer for all modes of transportation, and to make transit travel faster and more reliable. The project is designed to integrate with other active multimodal projects on the corridor to ensure community members can safely and reliably travel throughout the corridor using their preferred mode(s) of transportation.

This project will:

• Improve safety in the whole corridor
• Maximize the number of people able to move through the corridor
• Maximize intersection operational efficiency
• Improve transit travel times and increase ridership
• Maximize corridor-wide operational efficiency
• Increase opportunities for bicycle commuting and connectivity to the bicycle and pedestrian network

Specific corridor improvements include:

• New signage, striping and improved signal timing at all pedestrian crossings at signalized intersections
• Signal timing adjustments at key intersections (Jay Road, 63rd Street, Colorado Highway 52, Niwot Road and Airport Road)
• Adding a commuter bikeway and several local connections between northbound and southbound CO 119, and underpasses or overpasses at major intersections for uninterrupted crossing
• Physically reconfiguring the CO 52 intersection to improve safety and to accommodate new Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) stations and the Diagonal Bikeway between the northbound and southbound travel lanes
• Changing access at Airport Road and CO 119 to reduce crashes and improve safety and traffic flow

During construction, CO 119/Diagonal Highway will largely remain configured as it currently operates, with various lane shifts and closures. Additional information will be provided prior to any major closures or detour routes throughout the project duration. In addition, lane and shoulder widths will be minimized. The speed limit will be reduced. Please pay attention and follow posted speed limits. Kraemer North America is the General Contractor for this project.

CO 119 Safety, Mobility and Bikeway Improvements Project Contact Information

• Project phone line – 720-378-8083
• Project email – [email protected]
• Project website – codot.gov/projects/co119-mobility
• Sign up for weekly project updates on the project website by following these five simple steps:
  • Visit the project website
  • Click on the "Stay Informed" box on the right side of the page
  • From there, scroll to the "Construction Updates & News Releases" section and select "Subscribe to Construction Updates"
  • Enter your email address, then select "Northeast Colorado" as the region, check "Front Range I-25 Corridor" and "CO 119 Safety & Mobility Improvements"
  • Scroll to the bottom and hit submit