Wednesday provides first test of major holiday travel through Interstate 25 ‘Gap’ project

Drivers traveling through Interstate 25 between Monument and Castle Rock on the year’s busiest travel day learned how they’ll be affected by the 20-mile construction zone for the “Gap” project.

Traffic appeared heavy from early afternoon to late evening on the stretch where work is being done to widen the highway to three lanes in both directions.

Occasionally, congestion on the interstate forced drivers to use the two frontage roads along the highway in an attempt to get around the backup faster.

However, that created more congestion on those roads and on the overpass at Tomah Road.

Some drivers said they used Highway 83 to the east and Highway 105 to the west as detours.

The Colorado Department of Transportation expects the heaviest congestion to occur on Friday, the year’s biggest shopping day, and on the weekend, with a Denver Broncos home football game and people returning home for the holiday.

“Drivers should be ready for sudden slowdowns and occasional stops in that area,” said CDOT spokesman Bob Wilson. “Especially between Greenland and Castle Rock.”

Wilson said construction workers will be off during the holiday and that two lanes of traffic will remain open in both directions.