Interstate 225 between South Parker Road and Interstate 70 is the most congested section of interstate highway in Colorado, according to a state analysis.
The roughly 6-mile stretch of I-225 ranks No. 1 “based on the amount of time it spends in a congested state” each day, said Stacey Stegman, spokeswoman for the Colorado Department of Transportation.
On Thursday, a national coalition of transportation organizations released rankings – compiled from state figures – of the most congested sections of interstate highway in the nation.
The coalition does research on transportation issues and promotes road building. The group prepared its report to coincide with the 50th anniversary of the nation’s interstate highway system.
The second-most congested segment in Colorado was a section of I-25 in Colorado Springs.
Two sections of I-70 on the west side of the Denver metro area held down the No. 3 and 4 spots, and another stretch of I-25 in the Springs came in as fifth-most-congested, according to the report from The Road Information Program, or TRIP, the transportation research group based in Washington.
Interstate highways save lives, time and money, said Frank Moretti, TRIP’s research director, and Colorado and other states face the challenge of finding money to invest in the upgrade of their interstates.
“Spending money on transportation, particularly highways, has tremendous benefits in terms of economics and quality of life,” Moretti said.
Interstate highways save lives because they are designed with safety elements that reduce accidents, TRIP claimed in its report.
CDOT has spent about $800 million on the five-year T-REX expansion of I-25, but the project has exhausted the state’s capacity to finance other major highway reconstructions. The Transportation Expansion Project’s highway portion is due for completion Sept. 1.
CDOT is considering tolling as a way to expand other sections of interstate highway, including I-70 east of the Mousetrap, I-270, and I-25 from Denver’s far-north suburbs to Fort Collins.
The state also is considering toll lanes for the stretch of I-225 ranked No. 1 in congestion.
Staff writer Jeffrey Leib can be reached at 303-820-1645 or jleib@denverpost.com.
