C-DOT hosts open house for I-25 and Cimarron Interchange Project
The Colorado Department of Transportation hosted an open house in downtown Colorado Springs Tuesday to answers questions about the Interstate 25 and Cimarron Street Interchange project.
C-DOT will break ground for the project Wednesday and construction is expected to last through December, 2017.
The project includes improvements to the interstate between the Colorado Avenue and the Nevada/Tejon exit. The project will improve highway alignment and improved ramps. New I-25 bridges will also be installed. The project will also improve the aesthetics of the area, as well as connectivity to local trails and water quality.
The project costs $95 million and it is fully funded. The funds consist of federal, state and local money.
C-DOT outlined its plans on maps and presentation boards for people to browse and ask questions.
Horst Torchalla owns property close to the project. He said businesses near him have been torn down to accommodate the project. His building has not been affected, but he is curious as to what will happen to the big empty plot of land across from his building.
“Well it’s changed so many times over the years I just want to know what the real final outcome is going to be. They have been making changes all along and what I see now looks good to me,” said Torchalla.
Loyd Orfield’s home wasoriginallygoing to be purchased and torn down to accommodate theproject but he said plans have shifted and his home is no longer affected. He is pleased by the news, but still wondered if more traffic and noise will adversely affect his home.
“It’s going to change a little bit but it won’t be perfect yet,” said Orfield.
The project’s engineer, Dave Watt, is optimistic about the project and said it will have a positive impact on traffic flow in the area.
“We will have additional traffic signals tied together so we will be able to pull traffic outCimarronand I-25 intersection. A lot more green time in that area,” said Watt.
The curve in the interstate just north of the Cimarron Street exit can be a hot spot for accidents. The section of the highway was built in 1959 and cannot handle traffic from the expanding city as other interchanges along the I-25 corridor. Watt said the new design will soften the curve in the highway and make it a safer stretch for drivers.
“It’s something the community really deserves and we are going to deliver that be the end of 2017,” said Watt.
It will be the second largest highway project in the city’s history. COSMIX (Colorado Springs Metropolitan Expansion Project: 2005-2008) was the largest.
