Print
E-mail
Comment
Hess Road ahead of schedule
By Chris Michlewicz
Douglas County is one step closer to completing a major east-west roadway that will alleviate the traffic congestion that plagues Lincoln Avenue east of Interstate 25.
Construction began Oct. 19 on the latest phase of Hess Road, which will connect Parker with I-25 and immediately serve an estimated 13,000 vehicles per day.
Funding has delayed progress in the past, but the Douglas Board of County Commissioners approved a $3 million construction contract to Hudick Excavating Oct. 13 to revive the project.
Douglas County’s engineering staff is optimistic that the two-lane road will open by the end of 2011, more than seven months ahead of a deadline laid out in a roadway agreement.
The project will connect the existing extension of Hess Road in Parker to the Castle Pines Parkway interchange a few miles south of Lincoln Avenue. Officials expect Hess Road to divert vehicles from Lincoln Avenue, which becomes bogged down with heavy traffic during peak travel times, including some weekends. Motorists making their way from Elbert County, the Pinery, Stroh Ranch and other major subdivisions to the Denver Tech Center or downtown Denver will find the road more convenient and less congested.
The recent construction activity will connect Chambers Road to I-25; the second phase will fill in the remaining 3.7-mile gap between Chambers Road and Hess Road. That project will be bid out at the beginning of next year.
John Barnes, a Parker resident who drives on Lincoln Avenue nearly every day, said he has been anticipating the opening of Hess Road since hearing about the project four years ago. He heard that Hess will take thousands of cars off Lincoln Avenue, something that will come as a relief to commuters on the east end of the county.
“The day they complete that road is the day I wake up a happy man,” he said. “I just can’t afford to take the toll way, so I don’t have a choice.”
The only thing Barnes worries about is the additional traffic that will be generated by two developing subdivisions south of Lincoln Avenue. The slowdown in the housing market has actually minimized the increases in traffic that had been expected on Lincoln Avenue years ago.
The estimated project tally for Douglas County's portion of the road is more than $19 million. Parker is contributing $1.8 million, but the town has already constructed key portions of Hess Road, including a bridge over Cherry Creek.
The alignment was graded for four lanes, but Hess Road will remain a two-lane road until sometime between 2020 and 2030, depending on traffic demands and available funding.
Construction began Oct. 19 on the latest phase of Hess Road, which will connect Parker with I-25 and immediately serve an estimated 13,000 vehicles per day.
Funding has delayed progress in the past, but the Douglas Board of County Commissioners approved a $3 million construction contract to Hudick Excavating Oct. 13 to revive the project.
Douglas County’s engineering staff is optimistic that the two-lane road will open by the end of 2011, more than seven months ahead of a deadline laid out in a roadway agreement.
The project will connect the existing extension of Hess Road in Parker to the Castle Pines Parkway interchange a few miles south of Lincoln Avenue. Officials expect Hess Road to divert vehicles from Lincoln Avenue, which becomes bogged down with heavy traffic during peak travel times, including some weekends. Motorists making their way from Elbert County, the Pinery, Stroh Ranch and other major subdivisions to the Denver Tech Center or downtown Denver will find the road more convenient and less congested.
The recent construction activity will connect Chambers Road to I-25; the second phase will fill in the remaining 3.7-mile gap between Chambers Road and Hess Road. That project will be bid out at the beginning of next year.
John Barnes, a Parker resident who drives on Lincoln Avenue nearly every day, said he has been anticipating the opening of Hess Road since hearing about the project four years ago. He heard that Hess will take thousands of cars off Lincoln Avenue, something that will come as a relief to commuters on the east end of the county.
“The day they complete that road is the day I wake up a happy man,” he said. “I just can’t afford to take the toll way, so I don’t have a choice.”
The only thing Barnes worries about is the additional traffic that will be generated by two developing subdivisions south of Lincoln Avenue. The slowdown in the housing market has actually minimized the increases in traffic that had been expected on Lincoln Avenue years ago.
The estimated project tally for Douglas County's portion of the road is more than $19 million. Parker is contributing $1.8 million, but the town has already constructed key portions of Hess Road, including a bridge over Cherry Creek.
The alignment was graded for four lanes, but Hess Road will remain a two-lane road until sometime between 2020 and 2030, depending on traffic demands and available funding.
Submit a Comment
|
You must be logged in to post a comment.
|
Not yet a registered member?
Click here to become one. |
