Federal road funding makes its way to Douglas County
Information and photo provided by Douglas County
An 18-mile segment of I-25 from Monument to Castle Rock referred to as the “gap” is now fully funded and, according to the Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT), is on track to begin construction by late summer of this year.
CDOT Executive Director Michael Lewis made the announcement that Colorado will greatly benefit from the $90 million U.S. Department of Transportation Infrastructure for Rebuilding America (INFRA) grant, of which $65 million will go toward the project.
Following more than a year of study, CDOT found that having an express lane added in each direction would be the best option to meet the project’s purpose and need to improve safety, travel reliability and mobility.
Motorists will have a choice to either take the two general purpose lanes for free or travel the express lane, one in each direction, for a variable toll. Tolls would be higher during peak travel times and lower during non-peak times to ensure the choice of a free-flowing lane. CDOT estimated that travel times would improve across all lanes. Additionally, the project will widen shoulders, build additional wildlife crossings and make other improvements to increase driver safety.
The $65 million INFRA grant completes the $350 million funding needed to build the project. Funding sources include $250 million from the State of Colorado, $35 million from El Paso and Douglas counties and $65 million from the INFRA grant.
