Old Ranch Road Interchange Project Set to Start
COLORADO SPRINGS – The Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT) begins constructing a new interchange at the Powers Boulevard (State Highway 21) and Old Ranch Road intersection next week.
Construction is scheduled to begin on Monday, Jan. 19. Work hours are 7 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.,* Monday through Friday, including some Saturdays as needed. Lane closures will be minimal since a majority of the construction is outside of the traffic lanes.
Beginning in early February, Old Ranch Road between northbound and southbound Powers Boulevard will be closed to through traffic for bridge construction. Access to and from Pine Creek High School and the residential areas to the east will require southbound Powers traffic to turnaround in the median, ¼ mile south of Old Ranch Road, and then travel back north to the intersection. A traffic signal will be utilized to maintain safety and traffic flow and minimize backups into the high school.
Another median turnaround will be located a ¼ mile north of the intersection but will not require a traffic signal.
“The median turnarounds are a unique way for us to maintain nearby access to both sides of Powers while construction is taking place,” said CDOT Resident Engineer Mark Andrew. “However, drivers need to be prepared for slowing traffic through the area since vehicles will be utilizing the left lanes of Powers for the turnarounds.”
A 45 mph speed limit will be in place through the area on Powers for the duration of the project.
CDOT scheduled the project for completion in 245 calendar days to minimize impacts to the high school. Construction is scheduled for completion in September 2015.
“Planning it as a nine month project means we’ll only effect traffic for one semester and it gives us the summer to complete construction,” added Andrew. “Building an interchange usually takes 18 months so we’ve slashed the schedule in half.”
In addition to the interchange, work also includes installing new pedestrian crosswalks, curbs, gutters and sidewalks.
Wildcat Construction Co. of Colorado Springs is the contractor for the $13.1 million project. Funding included $8.6 million from the Pikes Peak Rural Transportation Authority, $956,000 from Colorado Springs federal funds and $3.5 million from CDOT and RAMP.**
Questions or concerns can be addressed by calling the project hotline at (719) 598-0352 or via email at [email protected]
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*Work hours will expand as daylight extends over the next several months
**This project is receiving funding from RAMP – Responsible Acceleration of Maintenance and Partnerships. RAMP is better coordinating project expenditures and available funding. Under the program, CDOT will fund multi-year projects based on year of expenditure, rather than saving for the full amount of a project before construction begins. For more information, including a list of RAMP project requests, please see our website: http://www.coloradodot.info/
