State Sen. Shawn Mitchell, R-Broomfield, criticized state transportation officials Monday for no longer allowing general traffic to use HOV/HOT lanes on Interstate 25 while repairs are made on the sinkhole on I-25 near 58th Avenue.
When a water main break created the hole in the highway on Thursday, the Colorado Department of Transportation used the concrete barrier-separated high-occupancy vehicle lanes in the center of I-25 for general traffic to bypass the repair site.
On Monday, CDOT returned the center lanes to buses, carpoolers and single-occupant vehicles paying tolls as HOT-lane users. HOT stands for “high-occupancy toll.”
Mitchell, in a letter to CDOT Executive Director Russ George, said he found “major slowing” at 2 p.m. Monday in the three northbound general purpose lanes that CDOT restored in the area of the sinkhole. Mitchell asked “whether the public interest might be served by continuing to allow general traffic in the HOV lanes until road repairs are complete.”
In response, CDOT spokeswoman Stacey Stegman said her agency has an obligation to the Regional Transportation District to maintain faster travel times for RTD buses and carpools in the HOV lanes.
The HOV lanes were built with federal transit funds.
Stegman said resuming the flow of revenue from toll-paying HOT-lane users was not a factor in restoring HOV/HOT lane use.
There are “emergency” provisions for opening the HOV lanes to general traffic following an incident like the sinkhole, Stegman said, but the emergency now is over since three northbound general traffic lanes have been restored.
Complete repair of the highway will take another 10 days, Stegman said. When it is complete, the highway will have its normal four through lanes and two additional lanes that exit at 58th Avenue.
The three northbound general traffic lanes in use now are narrower than normal, the speed limit is lower and both factors are contributing to congestion in the area, Stegman said.
On Monday CDOT completed drainage work and filled in the hole, Stegman said. Today CDOT expects to begin actual paving.
