SH 82 Aspen Signal Interconnect Project to Begin
ASPEN – The Colorado Department of Transportation will be conducting a traffic improvement project on State Highway 82 to upgrade eight traffic signal systems from the Airport Business Center to the downtown core. Construction can start as early as next Monday, September 26th. The project is expected to last through the middle of November 2011.
The project involves work at all of the signalized intersections between the Aspen Airport and Galena Street, with the exception of the Cemetery Lane intersection. The work will consist of installing pedestrian push buttons, in-pavement traffic signal loop detectors, underground conduit, fiber optic cable and communications systems that will link the signals together for improved signals management. Currently, the cycles at the traffic signals are manually set. When the project is completed, the traffic light timing will change based on traffic and pedestrian demand (with loop detectors sensing vehicles and push buttons controlling pedestrian crossing movements). This will help ease congestion and increase safety in the highway corridor.
The eight intersections to be improved include four outside of town and four in the downtown core. The intersections are at SH 82 and Aspen Airport Business Center (ABC), Harmony Place (Burlingame), Owl Creek Road, Truscott Place, Aspen Street, Monarch Street, Mill Street and Galena Street.
“Traffic will be affected at only one intersection at a time,” said Tom Newland, public information manager for the project. Newland went on to say that the work will begin at the ABC intersection and then move progressively up-valley into Aspen, signal to signal. Each intersection will be under construction for about two days as the contractor installs the in-pavement traffic signal loop detectors and conducts boring to place the conduit.
PUBLIC OPEN HOUSE: A public open house will be held on Wednesday, September 28, from 3:00 – 6:00 p.m., in the Aspen City Council Chambers at City Hall (130 S. Galena Street). Those interested can attend the open house to learn more about the project and potential impacts to vehicle and pedestrian travel. Representatives from CDOT and the project contractor will be on hand to answer questions.
The project was contracted to WL Contractors of Arvada, Colorado, for $675,000.
TRAFFIC/PEDESTRIAN IMPACTS: Work on the project will occur from 7:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m., Monday through Thursday, with some work possible on Fridays and weekends. Some lane closures on SH 82 and side streets will be required to accomplish the work; however, every effort will be made to minimize the impact on traffic during the project. Up-valley lanes will remain open with no traffic impacts until 9 a.m. each morning. Down-valley lanes will not experience lane closures after 3:30 p.m. (though weekend work may extend beyond these hours).
Travelers and pedestrians should be prepared to experience the following conditions within the construction zone:
- Short traffic stops may occur and will be kept to a minimum;
- The speed limit will be reduced from 40 miles per hour down valley of the ABC intersection. The speed limit will remain the same at all other intersections (25 or 35 mph);
- People using the signalized intersections in the project area may also experience temporary lane closures or lane re-configurations as the project progresses. Traffic control will be in place at these areas to guide pedestrian and motorists’ movements;
- Parking and pedestrian movements around the intersections will be altered during the few days when work is being done at a given intersection.
SIGN UP TO RECEIVE PROJECT UPDATES: Those with questions or concerns about the project may contact Tom Newland, Public Information Manager, at (970) 618-9805 or e-mail at [email protected]. Those wanting to receive project updates can sign up via CDOT’s FREE e-mail and mobile text message system. Go to www.coloradodot.info and click on green cell phone in the upper right-hand corner of the home page. After signing in, scroll down to “State Highway 82 in Aspen” and check the box. Updated information on other CDOT projects can be found @ www.coloradodot.info or by calling 511.
CDOT and WL Contractors greatly appreciate your patience and cooperation while going through the work zone. Thank you for going Slow for the Cone Zone!
