Construction of I-25 climbing lane east of Berthoud to begin next week

BERTHOUD — Work will begin next week on a climbing lane on a hill south of the Berthoud exit on Interstate 25.

According to the Colorado Department of Transportation, the project will extend from Colorado Highway 56 to south of Weld County Road 38 and also will include a mill and overlay of all northbound and southbound lanes and a widening of the bridge at Valley Road. In addition, excavation, embankment and drainage improvements will be done along the corridor. CDOT estimates the project will be completed by spring 2017.

SEMA Construction of Centennial is prime contractor on the $10.3 million project.

Travelers should expect shoulder closures during the road improvements. Construction work will be done from 7 a.m. to 5:30 p.m., Monday through Friday. Additional night work will be required to complete the mill and overlay portion of the construction and is expected to begin on Sunday, May 22. Construction hours for night work will run from 8 p.m. to 5 a.m., and single-lane closures are anticipated for both northbound and southbound traffic.

Speed limits through the project work zone will be reduced to 65 miles per hour. No vehicle-width restrictions are predicted during the project.

A much larger project — widening I-25 to three lanes between Colorado 66 east of Longmont and Colorado 14 in Fort Collins — is awaiting approval of applications for federal grants. The Centerra Metropolitan District, Weld County, and the cities of Fort Collins, Loveland, Johnstown  and Windsor have contributed millions to support CDOT’s drive to match federal highway grants for the improvements in Northern Colorado. The local matches are needed for a grant for which CDOT and the North Front Range Metropolitan Planning Organization applied to help fund the widening project. The deadline for that grant application was April 28, and officials say they’re likely to learn if they’ve won it by September.

A $25 million Transportation Investment-Generating Economic Recovery (TIGER) grant would pay for Phase 1 implementation of the North I-25 environmental impact statement, which includes construction of the additional lane. Improvements also would include replacement of a bridge over the Cache la Poudre River to accommodate the Poudre River Trail, replacement of a Union Pacific Bridge south of Crossroads Boulevard and widening of all other structures needed to accommodate a third lane.

In addition, North Front Range has applied for a Fostering Advancements in Shipping and Transportation for the Long-term Achievement of National Efficiencies (FASTLANE) grant.

According to CDOT projections, Weld County’s population is expected to increase to 567,000 and Larimer’s to 481,000 by 2040, adding up to a total that is double what the population of the two counties was in 2012.

As a short-term solution, CDOT has said, the additional lane would likely be tolled similar to the recently completed project on U.S. Highway 36 between Boulder and Denver.

Meanwhile, work is to begin soon on the overpass at Crossroads Boulevard in Loveland, the exit just north of the Centerra exit.

The Colorado Legislature adjourned this week after failing to pass a bill that would ask voters to sell $3.5 billion worth of bonds for major highway expansion projects in the state.

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