Colorado Springs – Gov. Bill Owens broke ground Thursday on the Colorado Springs Metro Interstate Expansion, or COSMIX, a $150 million project that will make Interstate 25 a continuous six lanes between South Circle Drive and North Academy Boulevard and improve two busy interchanges.
“We desperately need it,” Colorado Springs Mayor Lionel Rivera said. “We’re known as one of the most congested cities for a city our size in the country. This is going to help tremendously to help move traffic throughout our community and to reduce congestion.”
A study this year by the Texas Transportation Institute showed Colorado Springs residents spend 27 hours annually in traffic. The city is the worst among cities its size for traffic congestion, the study showed.
I-25 through Colorado Springs opened in 1960, carrying about 8,500 vehicles a day. Today, about 100,000 cars a day use I-25 at the Bijou Street interchange. By 2020, volume is expected to jump to 170,000 cars a day.
The project, paid for with Referendum A bonds approved by voters in 1999, will be completed in four phases:
Starting next week, work will begin on widening the interstate from four to six lanes between Fillmore Street and Garden of the Gods Road.
In September, interchanges at Rockrimmon Boulevard, Corporate Center Drive and North Nevada Avenue will be reconfigured into split-diamond interchanges.
Next spring, the interstate will be widened from four lanes to six from Woodmen Road to North Academy Boulevard.
Next summer, the interchange at Bijou Street and I-25 will be rebuilt.
Motorists are advised to expect delays throughout the project.
“Traffic is going to be a lot slower,” Rivera said. “… We’re going to encourage everyone to plan well in advance for their trip. Leave a lot earlier; look for alternative roads, because it will be congested.”
Larry Hurley, chairman of Rockrimmon Constructors, the contractor, said the company “will make every effort to minimize inconvenience to the public through the construction zones.”
Updated information on the project is available at 800- COSMIX-1 (267-6491) or online at www.cosmixproject.com.
