New Maroon Creek roundabout complete

News Release

July 1, 2022 - Northwest Colorado - CDOT and partner agencies gather to celebrate reconstructed roundabout on CO 82 near Aspen

Maroon Creek roundabout ribbon cutting

Aspen — Representatives from the Colorado Department of Transportation and partner agencies gathered on Friday, July 1, to celebrate the completion of the Maroon Creek Roundabout on Colorado Highway 82 near Aspen. The newly rebuilt roundabout is part of a larger improvement project along CO 82 between the Aspen Airport Business Center and town. Photos of the event are available here.

“CDOT deeply appreciates the close teamwork with the partner agencies joining us here today,” said CDOT Executive Director Shoshana Lew. “Local agency support and coordination made it possible for this safety improvement project to move forward. Each agency worked closely with CDOT on how best to carry out the project.”

The goal of this summer’s construction project is to repair Colorado Highway 82 from the Aspen Airport Business Center to Aspen. The Maroon Creek roundabout is a critical part of the Colorado Highway 82 corridor and the final link to Aspen and the upper Roaring Fork Valley.

“Good transportation projects do two principal things,” said John Cater, Colorado Division Administrator for the Federal Highway Administration. “They support the economy or economic development by allowing people to get to and from jobs and expedite the movement of freight and essential goods. The other key thing is to improve people’s lives by allowing them to get to where they want to go, safely and efficiently. The best projects are the result of people working together to meet multiple goals. This is one of those projects.”

Roundabout reconstruction was made possible with support from the City of Aspen, the Roaring Fork Transportation Authority, Pitkin County and the Elected Officials Transportation Committee, which are essential partners in the reconstruction of the roundabout. Each agency is contributing to the cost of the roundabout work and has worked closely with CDOT on how best to carry out the project. The City of Aspen contributed $980,000; RFTA contributed $300,000; the EOTC contributed $271,000; and Pitkin County $100,000. During project preparation, CDOT and these agency partners worked closely to modify construction methods to limit the disturbance area, coordinating closely on tree replacement, and arranging a schedule to accommodate local events and businesses as much as possible.

“It made sense for the City of Aspen to contribute to rebuilding the roundabout in concrete,” said Aspen Mayor, Torre. “Something that maximizes the resiliency of our infrastructure. It’s important to make sure City of Aspen residents and visitors can get to where they’re going. It’s important for the City to reduce the need for roundabout repairs… and delays… whenever possible.”

Pitkin County Commissioner Patti Clapper echoed Mayor Torre’s comments, noting other safety improvements underway on CO 82 as part of the project. This includes paving from the Aspen Airport Business Center to Aspen’s “S” curves on CO 82 coming into town. “As we all know this section of the Hwy experiences a great deal of wear and tear due to heavy traffic loads. Repaving will extend the life of the asphalt ensuring a smoother, safer roadway for all users,” said Clapper.

Reconstruction of the roundabout began in mid-April in order to minimize impacts to ski traffic, while also using the limited construction season in the Roaring Fork Valley.

Roaring Fork Transportation Authority Dan Blankenship highlighted specific improvements to the roundabout that were visible on Friday. “RFTA also really appreciates that CDOT has improved the geometry of the roundabout, so that RFTA buses have a much easier time negotiating the curves,” said Blankenship, moments after a bus successfully made a tight right turn through the roundabout.

Paving on CO 82 will continue at night and is anticipated to wrap up this fall. Crews will also conduct repairs to the Castle Creek Bridge, Maroon Creek Bridge as well as guardrail replacement, traffic control device upgrades and striping improvements. Repairs to the Castle Creek Bridge will take place in September, when traffic is historically the lowest on the CO 82 corridor.

Project Schedule & Milestone Timeline

CO 82 Roundabout Reconstruction
Schedule: Mid-March to June
Improvements: Mid-March clearing and grubbing of trees and bushes. Roundabout improvements begin mid April. Crews will reconstruct the roundabout with a more durable concrete surface.
Impact: One lane will be open through the roundabout. Starting mid April, the McLain Flats detour is an option for motorists.

Milestone 1: Roundabout Reconstruction
Date completed: 6/30

CO 82 Resurfacing
Schedule: June through August
Improvements: Asphalt repave, Maroon Creek Bridge deck resurfacing, guardrail replacement, ADA ramp replacement
Impact: Majority of work will take place at night. CO 82 remains open with one lane in each direction.
Alternate route: McLain Flats detour continues to be an option.

CO 82 Castle Creek Bridge Work
Schedule: September
Improvements: Replacement of a bridge joint
Impact: During this construction, traffic will be routed onto the Power Plant Road detour.

Milestone 2: Castle Creek Bridge Work
Start date: Early September
Anticipated completion date: Early October

Project Information

About the CO 82 Aspen Roundabout Project
This is a roundabout reconstruction and surface treatment project in Pitkin County along Colorado Highway 82. The project limits are from Mile Point 36.5-40.5. The roundabout reconstruction will replace the existing asphalt surface with concrete paving at the intersection of CO 82, Maroon Creek Road and Castle Creek Road. Additional work includes bridge maintenance, guardrail replacement, traffic signal controller upgrades, ADA ramp upgrades and pavement marking. CO 82 will continue to be open to motorists during the project.

For questions about the project or to sign up for weekly traffic impact updates please contact us at: