Pothole repairs Thursday clog Interstate 25 traffic in Monument

Late Thursday morning, it was pothole work — not a crash or bad weather — that slowed traffic on Interstate 25 in Monument.

The two-hour project started at 10 a.m. and ended at noon, as a Colorado Department of Transportation crew filled numerous potholes in the northbound and southbound lanes.

The repairs covered two miles between the Monument exit and County Line Road.

“It does need to be done,” said Jennie Harling, a driver. “I guess we all need to stay safe, and I’m glad they’re taking care of it. Just have to take a little detour. No problem.”
But another driver, Robin McClain, was less supportive.

“I live in a town that has a lot of potholes, and we are used to disruptions,” he said. “I’m not entirely sure about the timing. This is the middle of the day. I guess it’s not rush hour.”

The project’s duration was short to minimize traffic impacts.

Bob Wilson, a CDOT spokesman, said CDOT considers the repairs to be an emergency.

“What we define as an emergency is anything that can create a road hazard,” he said. “So if you have a pothole in the roadway or right near the roadway, it can create problems for people swerving or if someone’s going to be hitting these potholes.”
CDOT completed a similar project in Castle Rock last week.

Both locations are within the I-25 Gap, a 20-mile stretch that is being widened and is scheduled for completion in 2022.