Three lanes of the highway will be closed this evening during a major realignment on north- and southbound Interstate 25, according to Colorado Department of Transportation authorities.
The construction work will cause major delays in both directions on the highway between Colfax Avenue and 23rd Avenue over the South Platte River.
Commuters should take alternate routes to avoid getting tangled in the slow traffic, authorities say.
CDOT Project Engineer Chris Paiz said that after the realignment is completed, traffic on I-25 will remain in this configuration until late this year or early next year.
Three lanes of southbound I-25 will be closed from 7 p.m. tonight until 5 a.m. on Wednesday.
In addition, commuters can expect various single- and double-lane closures on northbound and southbound I-25 between Colfax Avenue and 23rd Avenue on Wednesday and Thursday from 7 p.m. to 5 a.m. The ramp from southbound I-25 to Colfax Avenue and the ramp from 23rd Avenue to southbound I-25 will also be closed on Wednesday and Thursday from 9 p.m. to 5:30 a.m.
The existing I-25 bridges over the South Platte River were originally built in 1951 and are in poor condition. The entire project is scheduled to be complete by the end of August 2013.
Lawrence Construction Co. is the contractor for this $16.3 million project, which is being funded with federal and state funds.
Kirk Mitchell: 303-954-1206 or kmitchell@denverpost.com
