Here’s a helpful hint from the Colorado Department of Transportation for weekend motorists: Stay off Interstate 25.
Really, hopping on won’t be worth it.
“Either stay off of it or drive around it, especially in the central Denver area,” CDOT spokeswoman Amy Ford said Thursday.
The biggest snarl will be between Santa Fe Drive and the U.S. 6 interchange — northbound and southbound. Crews are closing the interstate for two extended periods — the first of which starts at 10 p.m. Friday — to essentially do a month’s worth of roadwork in 41 hours.
About 100 CDOT and contractor workers will demolish the north half of the U.S. 6 bridge over I-25; repave and restripe both directions of I-25 between Santa Fe Drive and U.S. 6; relocate three storm sewer lines across southbound I-25; and set girders for the ramp bridge from northbound I-25 to westbound U.S. 6.
The intersection will reopen at 5 a.m. Monday, when northbound I-25 commuters will be greeted by a fourth through-lane between Santa Fe Drive and U.S. 6.
“Come Monday morning, that portion of the highway will look totally different,” said CDOT regional director Tony DeVito.
The new through-lane is part of CDOT’s $4 million “Gap Project,” which is designed to lessen congestion on northbound I-25 between Santa Fe and U.S. 6, said DeVito.
Currently, the lanes there go from four to three and attract 10,000 to 12,000 vehicles an hour in each direction during peak travel periods, he said.
“It’s just something that has to be handled now,” said DeVito.
The first closure will run from 10 p.m. Friday to 8 a.m. Saturday. The second closure will stretch from 10 p.m. Saturday to 5 a.m. Monday.
Saturday’s reopening was planned to accommodate higher volumes of traffic.
“We do realize this is an inconvenience to the public,” DeVito said, “so we are trying to be as accommodating as we can.”
Ford said this weekend was picked because it’s the “sweet spot” in the summer professional sports schedule — no Broncos or Rockies home games.
The new lane, however, will offer only temporary relief on I-25, as CDOT searches for funding to make permanent changes between Alameda Avenue and U.S. 6.
“It will help, but it won’t solve the overall problem of highway congestion,” Ford said.
Other projects this weekend include a one-lane closure of southbound I-25 from Thornton Parkway to 84th Avenue. The closure will run from 10 p.m. Friday to 5:30 a.m. Monday. The on-ramp from 84th Avenue to southbound I-25 will be closed, too.
Also, portions of I-25 from Colorado Springs to Monument will be constricted because of paving work.
Monte Whaley: 720-929-0907, mwhaley@denverpost.com or twitter.com/montewhaley
