Construction of New C-470 Interchange Underway

Projected Completion: June 30, 2008

Traffic Concerns During the Project

Traffic lanes will be shifted during construction; Alameda Avenue over C-470 closed through March 2008.

Moderate traffic delays are expected.

Get the latest project details at www.c470alameda.com

Artist's rendition of new interchange bridge

Republished from December 2007 Looking at Lakewood

While it's being built, it's best to find alternative routes. That's the recommendation to motorists during the next eight months of construction on the new interchange at C-470 and West Alameda Parkway.

Work began on the $14 million interchange in November 2007 and will cause a three-month closure of Alameda as it crosses C-470. The closure will begin in December 2007 and will last until the end of March 2008.

Other upcoming lane closures will be announced in advance on electronic message boards on Morrison Road, on the west side of C-470 and on the east side of C-470 near the intersection of Alameda and Bear Creek Boulevard.

Some of the construction will be performed at night, but heavy equipment will be crossing Alameda, prompting flaggers to temporarily stop traffic at times. Lane restrictions on C-470 and on Alameda will be necessary at times from 7 p.m. to 5:30 a.m., Sunday through Thursday.

The popular bicycle path that runs parallel to C-470 will also be closed periodically around the interchange, and closures will be posted in advance with signs along the path.

Although construction prompted the temporary closure of Rooney Road south of Alameda in early December, Rooney Road will be reopened prior to the closure of Alameda. Motorists traveling west on Alameda will be able to head south to Morrison Road, and those traveling east on Alameda from the Dakota Hogback will be able to take Rooney Road north to West Colfax Avenue.

Visit www.c470alameda.com for weekly updates on construction, lane closures as well as other information about the interchange. For additional information, please call the project message line at 303-375-9183.

Construction is expected to be completed by June 30, 2008, and the diamond-shaped interchange has been designed with ornamental railings and pillars as well as colors to complement the surrounding backdrop.

The work will include widening the bridge over C-470 to six lanes to accommodate turn lanes for the new concrete highway ramps. Retaining walls, new storm drainage, curb, gutter, sidewalks and traffic signals also will be built.

Plans for the interchange have been in place since the 1990s, and it will support primary job creation by improving access to the commercially zoned property in the Rooney Valley, which is mostly privately owned land east of C-470 between Alameda and Morrison Road.

The interchange will allow for the closure of Alameda as it crosses the Hogback, creating a car-free zone for visitors viewing the dinosaur tracks along Dinosaur Ridge and bicyclists crossing the Hogback. It also will provide an alternate route to C-470, Interstate 70 and Sixth Avenue.

SEMA Construction is building the interchange under the supervision of the Green Tree Metropolitan District. Lakewood has contributed $3 million and Jefferson County $6 million to the project, with Green Tree paying the balance of the cost. The project is not eligible for state or federal funds, but the Colorado Department of Transportation worked closely on the design and planning of the project because it crosses a state highway.