Work Begins To Improve Vital Highway Between Frisco And Breckenridge
SUMMIT COUNTY, Colo. (CBS4) - A vital passageway between Breckenridge and stops along Interstate 70 is about to be improved.
Work has begun on the State Highway 9 Iron Springs Alignment Project located between Frisco and Breckenridge. Improvements along the two-mile project include a newly widened four-lane highway and enhanced recreation path, both on a new alignment. The project will improve commuter mobility and safety between the two communities.
While work begins, drivers can expect delays and some headaches.
"I couldn't be happier about this project and the fact that it is finally going to be four lanes," said John Buehler, Chief Operating Officer for Breckenridge Ski Resort.
"It's really a safety issue too, just the more volume we get in the winter conditions," said Grant Anderson, Colorado Department of Transportation engineer. "I don't want to say there's no delays or no impact, but by building most of the alignment offline it's going to be really a lot better situation than if we were trying to widen the highway on the existing alignment."
For skiers who are used to the bottleneck it will be a major upgrade. Even Vail Resorts pitched in to help pay for the improvements.
"To be a part of this and understand the need of the community, we felt and took a lot of pride in being a part of it," Buehler said.
LINK: SH 9 Iron Springs Alignment Project
The CDOT provided the following information about the details of this project:
The new alignment along the corridor will consist of three new culverts, with landscaped retaining walls, to allow bicyclists and pedestrians easy access throughout the recreation trail. Primary impacts to traffic will occur at the north and south tie-ins of the project, where temporary pavement will be installed allowing two-way traffic at all times. Tie-in work is expected to happen early in Phase One 2016.
Project Impacts: Hours of operations are expected to be Monday through Saturday 7:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. with no impacts to traffic on Saturdays. Motorists could anticipate up to 20 minute delays through the project limits during peak construction operations. The bike path will remain open 100% of the time and bike detours will be constructed. Cyclists can anticipate flaggers on the path.
Traffic is anticipated to be in a two-lane configuration on the new alignment by Winter Shutdown in November 2016. The overall construction completion date is December 2017.
Stay Informed: For information about this project please call the project hotline at 970-401-0901 or email CDOTIronSprings@gmail.com. Information about weekly lane closures will be available at www.coloradodot.info/travel/scheduled-lane-closures.html.
Matt Kroschel covers news throughout Colorado working from the CBS4 Mountain Newsroom. Send story ideas to mrkroschel@cbs.com and connect with him on Twitter @Matt_Kroschel.
