current cdot masthead
Colorado of Department of Transportation 
May 2015
Project Schedule 
  • Public Open House: May 26, 2015, 5-7 p.m.
  • Construction starts June 2015 offline
  • Fully operational/final configuration: December 2017
Stay Connected  
 

Website: 

Colorado Info Project

Email: [email protected]

Hotline: (719) 302-6781

To receive project updates and construction notices, send an email to:

 

Sign Up to Receive
E-newsletters

 

To receive future I-25/Cimarron project e-newsletters and construction notices, send an email to [email protected].

Prioritized Project Goals

 

Project goals were established and approved by the Executive Oversight Committee. The goals provide direction to the project team and to the design-build contractor team.

 

Project Goals 

1. Maximize overall safety, capacity and operation of the interchange and the surrounding transportation network within the Project budget;

 

2. Complete Project construction to be fully operational before December 1, 2017;

 

3. Minimize impacts and inconvenience to the community, motorists, businesses, downtown and the public during construction; and

 

4. Achieve an aesthetically pleasing design compatible with current and future amenities and enhancements in and around the interchange.

 

"The project goals were developed and prioritized by several community organizations in collaboration with the project team and were used to help establish the project contract requirements."  

-Dave Watt, 

CDOT Region 2 Resident Engineer
 
Project Partners
  • Colorado Department of Transportation
  • Federal Highway Administration
  • City of Colorado Springs
  • El Paso County
  • The Community

Click to view larger map: 

The I-25/Cimarron interchange reconstruction project is crucial for the citizens and businesses of the Pikes Peak region and downtown Colorado Springs
Like us on Facebook 
Follow us on Twitter

Long-Awaited Interchange Reconstruction Project Breaks Ground

 

Public Open House May 26

 

The second largest transportation project in Colorado Springs' history behind COSMIX breaks ground this month at the Interstate-25/Cimarron interchange. Ground breaking signals the official start of a new "gateway" interchange to downtown Colorado Springs and to the mountain communities to the west. The community is invited to come learn about the construction details and schedule and view designs of how the interchange will look upon completion. When complete, it will be a high-functioning interchange that safely handles more vehicles and enhances multi-modal travel for those using the I-25/ Cimarron interchange, and the trail system along the creeks. 

 

Tuesday, May 26, 2015 

5-7 p.m. (presentation at 5:30)
City Auditorium
221 E. Kiowa Street
Colorado Springs, CO 80903

On-street parking and surface lots available. City parking garages: 127 E. Kiowa or 130 S. Nevada.

A short, formal presentation will begin at 5:30 p.m., followed by an informal open house with information stations and an opportunity for the public to meet and ask questions of the project team.


Information stations you can visit at your leisure will cover these topics:

  • Project overview and schedule milestones
  • Project aesthetics
  • Traffic management
  • Park/trail/stream improvements
  • New connection on Cimarron Street to 8th Street to alleviate congestion at the intersection. 

CDOT Selects Design-Build 

Contractor Team

The Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT) announced the successful proposing team of Kraemer North America, LLC (Kraemer) and Tsiouvaras Simmons Holderness (TSH) to reconstruct the I-25/Cimarron Interchange project.

 

At just over $113 million, this will be the largest highway construction project in the Pikes Peak region since the reconstruction of I-25, known as COSMIX (Colorado Springs Metropolitan Expansion) was completed in 2008. More than 150,000 vehicles travel through the interchange daily, making it one of the region's busiest.   

 

Contractor team selection was a lengthy process in which three teams were shortlisted in May 2014. The shortlisted teams were then asked to provide proposals through the Request for Proposal (RFP) process. 

 

"All the proposals submitted were incredibly thorough, creative and exceeded the expectations of the established project goals," said CDOT Regional Transportation Director Karen Rowe. "In the end, and following a rigorous selection process, it came down to the team with the best technical proposal and the one providing the most improvement for the interchange and the surrounding transportation network. One team emerged as the frontrunner in this area because they provided the best value and response for meeting the project's goals."

Demolition Paves the Way for 

I-25/Cimarron Interchange 

Reconstruction Project

 

The view from Interstate-25 near the Cimarron Street exit has changed over the last couple of months with the demolition of several structures.The debris has been removed, holes are filled and the site has been leveled and graded for erosion control. 

 

Most recently, The Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT) demolished approximately five structures in the northwest corner of the interchange, a few pole barns, sheds and two billboards immediately west of I-25 and north of the Cimarron Street exit ramp, allowing for the interchange reconstruction project this Spring/Summer.

 

"The owners/businesses were relocated after CDOT purchased the properties as part of the right-of-way acquisition process prior to the I-25/ Cimarron interchange reconstruction project," said Dave Watt, CDOT Project Director.


Demolition of the old Express Inn at the southwest corner of 

I-25/Cimarron interchange began in mid-

November in preparation for construction of the 8th Street cutoff. This area will also be used for material storage. Debris has been removed and final grading has been completed.

 

From left to right, CDOT Resident Engineer Dave Watt, CDOT Program Manager Doug Lollar, City Council Member Keith King, El Paso County Commissioner Sallie Clark, and City of Colorado Springs Chief of Staff Steve Cox were all present on the first day of demolition for the ceremonial "first swing of the sledgehammer" to mark the start of demolition.  

What the Project Involves

 

Interchange

Planned improvements include reconstructing I-25 between Colorado Avenue (to the north) and the Nevada Avenue/Tejon Street interchange (to the south), and include a continuous northbound travel lane between the S. Nevada/Tejon interchange and the Cimarron interchange. Project boundaries on Cimarron are between 8th Street to the west and the Cimarron bridge over Fountain Creek to the east. Once construction is complete in 2017, the project will provide:
  • Improved interstate and interchange operations and safety;
  • Improved highway alignment and improved ramps, acceleration/deceleration lanes for increased vehicle storage and safety;
  • New I-25 bridge structures;
  • New connection between 8th Street and Cimarron Street; 
  • Improved trail connectivity and aesthetic treatments.

Thank You to Our Project Partners

 

On behalf of the Colorado Department of Transportation, please accept our sincere appreciation for the hard work you contributed over the past several months to the planning and design-build team procurement phase of the I-25/Cimarron St. Interchange Design-Build Project.

 

It is through community leaders like you that CDOT is able to achieve its commitment to improve business processes for better customer service and efficiency, use innovation and improved management to bring more projects to construction, and to assure transparency and accountability. Your involvement enabled us to better understand the needs of the community as we continue improving the transportation infrastructure in and around the Pikes Peak region.

 

Thanks to your contribution of time, expertise and energy, we are now poised to move into the construction phase of this transportation infrastructure project that is of critical importance to the region and the state. 

 

Karen Rowe

Region 2 Transportation Director (RTD)

Colorado Department of Transportation

Additional Project Information

 

For more information about the project, visit the CDOT website project pageTo receive future I-25/Cimarron project e-newsletters and construction notices, send an email to [email protected].