East-west road connection opens in December
Douglas County commuters driving between Parker and I-25 will soon be able to access Parker’s Main Street via the Ridgegate exit. A ribbon cutting ceremony for the recently-developed road will be held on December 13. The new route should ease congestion on Lincoln Avenue. The construction of the alternate route was completed by a coalition of various public and private entities, including the City of Lone Tree and Douglas County.
Article by Lisa Crockett with photo provided by the City of Lone Tree
Traffic congestion on Lincoln Avenue should soon ease a bit, as a much-anticipated road opening will come as an early Christmas present to east-west commuters. The Ridgegate Parkway project, which was done as a partnership between Douglas County, the City of Lone Tree, and various other community and private entities, will provide another way for drivers to drive from I-25 east to Parker.
“The ribbon cutting [for the new road] will be at 9 a.m. on December 13,” said Michelle Kivela, deputy city manager for the City of Lone Tree.
Just a bit south of the Ridgegate project, the Hess Road extension – which will create another connection between I-25 and the town of Parker at Castle Pines Parkway, is well underway.
The first phase of the project, which was complete in July 2010, begins at Chambers Road and extends 1.42 miles west. Major elements of this phase consist of a single span bridge over Newlin Gulch, three water quality ponds, and 230,000 cubic yards of unclassified excavation. The total construction contract amount for the east phase was approximately $3.3 million.
The second phase of the project, which began in April, is currently about 40 percent complete. When this phase is finished – an undertaking that will cost roughly $11 million and will include three bridge structures, five water quality ponds, 950,000 cubic yards of unclassified excavation and 305,000 cubic yards of rock excavation – the road will be open to traffic. The project is tentatively scheduled for completion in September, 2011.
“In addition to the Ridgegate project, completion of the Hess Road Extension project will provide another much needed alternate east-west transportation corridor between I-25 and State Highway 83 [Parker Road],” said Douglas County Engineering Project Manager Keith Stefanik. “It will decrease commuting time for citizens commuting from eastern Douglas County, and improve traffic flow on currently congested Lincoln Avenue.”
