CDOT conducts emergency asphalt repairs Tuesday in I-25 Gap in Douglas County

LARKSPUR, Colo. (KRDO) -- A portion of the southbound Express Lane in the I-25 "Gap" between Castle Rock and Monument closed for several hours Tuesday while crews worked on emergency asphalt repairs.

According to the Colorado Department of Transportation, the southbound closure was between Plum Creek Parkway (exit 181) and Larkspur (exits 172 and 173).

Crews worked only between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. to avoid morning and evening rush hour but the project still caused significant traffic backups on the highway.

The repairs surprised many drivers who thought the Gap was in perfect condition after officially opening ahead of schedule in December.

An employee at the nearby Jellystone Park campground was among those who didn't expect the project and its impact.

"If it's all brand new, then it should be up to code and shouldn't have any problems with it," said employee Nelson Rollingson. "Was I surprised to see a major project like this? Yes. With all the people going back and forth, it's a problem."

CDOT spokesperson Tamara Rollison explained the need for the emergency repairs.

"Wear and tear on the roadway," she said. "We have had extreme shifts in temperature, with it being 70 degrees one day and below freezing the next. And with the heavy use by traffic and also by snowplows, that has put some wear and tear on the pavement. We had emergency repairs that had to be made, and that's why we had to do the daytime work."

Such repair work isn't unusual during winter, Rollison said, but it's primarily done at night when the volume of traffic is lower.

"It's the degree of damage that forced us to make repairs during the day," she said.

Many people also may have forgotten, or are unaware, that not all of the Gap pavement is new; some of it is old but CDOT plans to do a final repaving of the 18-mile stretch when consistently warm weather returns.