New traffic flow at I-25 & Fillmore frustrates drivers

Many drivers are making their feelings clear about the new traffic pattern at the Interstate 25 and Fillmore Street interchange. They don’t like it.

KRDO NewsChannel 13 received numerous complaints from drivers who are uncomfortable with the diverging diamond interchange on Fillmore and say it doesn’t work.

The Colorado Department of Transportation said the pattern, only the third of its kind in the state, is designed to improve traffic flow and ease congestion but requires an adjustment by drivers because it requires them to drive on the opposite side of the interchange.

After hearing drivers complain that the interchange is unsafe and leads to many near-crashes, CDOT and the city discovered that traffic signals needed better synchronization.

“We’ve been working on that since Monday and believe we have it working better now,” said Kathleen Krager, the city’s transportation manager. “You should be able to get more consistent green signals as you travel east or west.”

Krager said having two busy streets near the interchange — Chestnut Street and Mark Dabling Boulevard — complicates the situation.

John Hall, a CDOT engineer, said the current traffic configuration is temporary while the overall bridge construction project continues.

“We’ve still got months to go, to complete it,” he said. “It’s not perfect by any means. There’s going to even be some additional lanes in the final configuration. But the flow of traffic is pretty much what you’ll see.”

Hall said similar interchanges are in Boulder and Grand Junction.

“When we built those, people complained and had a hard time adjusting,” he said. “But eventually, they got used to it. We’re hoping for the same at Fillmore.”

Hall said the Fillmore project should be finished by mid-summer.