US 6 & Wadsworth Boulevard | Design Phase
About the Project:
The existing design and configuration of the US Highway 6 and Wadsworth Boulevard interchange, roadway, and sidewalks are deficient to meet the growing traffic and multimodal travel demands. Since the original interchange was constructed in the 1950s, the Denver Metro Area has seen explosive population growth, resulting in an increase in crashes and congestion across the region. Recognizing the future need for interchange upgrades and multimodal connectivity improvements, CDOT began planning efforts to improve the US 6 & Wadsworth more than 15 years ago. While portions of the project, including major environmental clearances, have been completed, the larger interchange reconstruction and multimodal connections remain as the largest and most critical improvements still needed. An Environmental Assessment (EA) was completed for the project in 2009, and in March 2010 a Finding of No Significant Impact (FONSI) was issued.
Pursuant to the FONSI, the Project was divided into four phases:
Phase 1 was completed in 2015. Phase 1 consisted of a new box culvert at Wadsworth and 12th Avenue and three lanes of concrete paving in each direction from just north of 10th Avenue to West Colfax Avenue. Intersection improvements at 14th Avenue and partial improvements at 10th Avenue were also completed. Detached 10-foot-wide multi-use paths were constructed on both sides of Wadsworth. Phase 1 also added a raised median on Wadsworth that includes a landscaped area between 12th and 13th Avenues.
Phase 2 was completed in 2020. Phase 2 consisted of three lanes of paving in each direction from just north of 10th Avenue to just north of the 6th Avenue Frontage Road, and construction of a new box culvert with pedestrian/bicycle path crossing at Lakewood Gulch.
Phase 3 focuses on improvements in the southwest corner of the US 6 and Wadsworth interchange. Work will include sound walls along the frontage road south of US 6 between Meadowlark Drive and the Wadsworth off-ramp, frontage road improvements and an auxiliary lane along eastbound US 6 from Carr St. to the Wadsworth off-ramp, and sidewalk on the west side of Wadsworth from Highland to 4th to enhance pedestrian connectivity. The project is anticipated to go to construction in early 2024 with work anticipated to last through the end of 2024.
Phase 4 comprises the project for which CDOT and the City of Lakewood are seeking RAISE discretionary grant program funding. Phase 3 will complete the long-term undertaking to improve Wadsworth inclusive of the bridge and interchange with US 6, and will provide uninterrupted pedestrian and bicycling passage by connecting to the improvements carried out in Phases 1 and 2. Ninety percent design for this portion of the project was completed in 2014, but finalization of the plans was put on hold due to lack of funding. Design restarted in winter 2022 into 2023.
Noise Wall Voting
Due to noise impacts to properties located along and south of the US 6 frontage road from the Phase 3 improvements (listed above), CDOT will be installing noise walls between the frontage road and US 6 from Meadowlark Drive to the Wadsworth off-ramp. The location of the proposed noise wall is shown on the map below and is subject to approval by the properties that will benefit from the wall based on noise modeling. Additional noise mitigation will be constructed as part of Phase 4.
CDOT is soliciting input on three different textures for the walls with the intent to closely match the existing texture and color on the noise walls located east of the US 6 and Wadsworth interchange.
The choices for the wall textures are shown in the renderings below. The walls will range from a height of 10 to 12 feet from the ground surface.
Please provide your choice by January 15, 2023 for the texture of the proposed wall color by emailing the project email address at [email protected].
