Southbound I-25 Speed Reductions Begin at Monument Hill

September 19, 2013 - Southeastern Colorado/CDOT Region 2 - State, project contractor implement new speed reduction measures to enhance safety.

Colorado Springs – In an effort to improve safety for drivers and construction crews, the Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT), the Colorado State Patrol (CSP), and Kiewit Infrastructure Group are implementing additional measures to slow traffic moving through the 11-mile project to expand Interstate 25 in Colorado Springs and northern El Paso County.

Some of the measures include:

  • Reducing the speed limit on southbound Interstate 25 to 65 mph beginning at County Line Road (Exit 163).
  • The speed limit may be reduced to 45 mph where traffic is reduced to one lane for construction.
  • The Colorado State Patrol presence will increase and it will strictly enforce the reduced speed limits. Fines for speeding in work zones are doubled.

Sgt. Dan Haley of the CSP said drivers who fail to observe the posted speed limits could face costly fines. Those fines are:

  • 1-4 mph over the speed limit -- $90.50
  • 5-9 mph over the speed limit -- $178.50
  • 10-19 mph over the speed limit -- $320.50
  • 20-24 mph over the speed limit -- $622.50
  • All violations 25+ mph over result in an automatic court summons

“The most common fine for speeding in a work zone is $320.50 for violations in the 10-19 mph range,” Haley said.

Construction crews also have to deal with is distracted drivers. Drivers who are talking on the phone, texting and doing other things rather than concentrating on the road have hit construction barrels and cones set up to protect workers. “The charge of failing to drive in the designated lane in a construction zone can result in a fine of $223.50,” Haley said.

“During off peak hours, some drivers are ignoring the posted speed limits, which puts construction workers and other drivers in jeopardy,” said Dan Hunt, CDOT project manager. “Nighttime traffic has been especially problematic. This is a big concern because traffic is often restricted to one lane and crews are working closer to traffic,” he said.

Permanent and mobile electronic message boards will remind drivers to obey posted speed limits to help protect construction workers and other drivers.

Speed limits in the construction zone, which extends between State Highway 105 in Monument (Exit 161) south to Woodmen Road (Exit 149), will vary depending on the time of day and the number of through traffic lanes. The number of traffic lanes can be reduced to one in each direction between 8:30 p.m. and 5:30 a.m., Sunday through Thursday.

All work is subject to road and weather conditions.

More @i25expansion Project information is available by visiting www.southi25expansion.com. Call the project hotline at 719-247-8339 to have comments and questions addressed by the project team. To receive project updates via email or text, register at www.coloradodot.info and click on the green cellphone in the upper right corner of the page.