Interstate interchange project enters third month

As the Colorado Department of Transportation prepares to improve the interchange at Interstate 25 and Cimarron Street, the agency continues work on a similar project several miles to the north.

CDOT has been working on the interchange at Interstate 25 and Fillmore Street since January. The $15 million project is scheduled for completion in the summer of 2016.

“When we finish those two, we will have upgraded everything on the interstate in Colorado Springs,” said Ted Tjerandsen, project manager.

The project involves widening the entrance and exit ramps, building two bridges to replace the existing bridge and improving traffic flow with a relatively new concept called the diverging diamond interchange.

“It’s probably about the 20th interchange (of its kind) that’s been built in the country,” Tjerandsen said. “CDOT has built two of them in the state.”

Construction occasionally leads to traffic congestion in the interstate because the speed limit is reduced to 55 mph.

Many drivers have complained about congestion on Fillmore east of the interchange and wonder if the project will address that. CDOT said the project does not address that issue and the city said there are no plans currently to address it.