Highway 115 Improvement Project Underway
CAŇON CITY – Safety improvements are underway on State Highway 115 (9th Street), a project that includes widening the roadway from two to three lanes, a new roundabout at the 9thStreet/Elm Avenue intersection, and a realignment of the SH 115/Elm Avenue intersection, about one mile east of the city.
Drivers can expect occasional lane closures from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Friday. However, West Elm Avenue (west of 9th) and South 9th Street (south of Elm) are closed to throughtraffic, 24 hours a day, seven days a week for roundabout construction. Nearby residents and businesses continue to have access to West Elm and South 9th via Barium Avenue.
“We’re also adding a center turn lane to 9th Street between Gem Street and the new roundabout to improve safety and traffic flow on 9th and at the busy Elm and 9th intersection,” said CDOT Project Engineer Jay D. Johnson. “Our experience with the other roundabout CDOT built at 15th and Main helped improve traffic movements through that area and we expect it to the same here.”
The project is scheduled for completion in September 2013.
“Improving the Highway 115 and Elm intersection to the east is expected to enhance safety as well,” added Johnson. “Right now, drivers come in at such at angle there that the sight distance is minimal. Realigning the intersection will provide drivers with a much better view of the traffic on 115, which will reduce that existing hazard.”
Avalanche Excavating Inc. of Caňon City is the contractor for the $1.6 million project.
Additional information is available by calling the project hotline at (719) 275-1061.
Updated information regarding traffic impacts on this or other CDOT projects is available atwww.cotrip.org or by calling 511. To receive project updates via e-mail, visit www.coloradodot.info and click on the cell-phone icon in the upper right-hand corner. The link takes you to a list of items you can subscribe to, including Southeast Colorado.
