Highway 73 Roadway Improvements
Carrie Hurich
I grew up in the foothills as part of a hard-working family, where I learned the value of a strong work ethic...
I grew up in the foothills as part of a hard-working family, where I learned the value of a strong work ethic...
Project Overview:
Jefferson County is planning improvements to Jefferson County Highway between Buffalo Park Road and Plettner Lane beginning mid-2023. Benefits to the public will include:
- Safety enhancements to the intersection of Buffalo Park Road and Highway 73;
- Left Turn Lanes;
- A Concrete Pedestrian Trail;
- Drainage and Flood Controls; and
- Bridge Replacements at Cub Creek.
The project will be funded in part with a grant of $8.75 million from the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA). Jefferson County's share is estimated to be $2.19 million.
View this project on the Jeffco Roadway Project dashboard (an interactive mapping application). Under the Capital Improvement Project list at the right-hand side of the dashboard, scroll to and click "CR73 Roadway Improvements".
Project Schedule:
Preliminary design and public outreach efforts were conducted throughout 2021. Final design is nearly complete and currently undergoing state and federal agency review. A public meeting was held on April 18, 2023 at Evergreen High School. A virtual option is posted below.
Learn more about the final design and construction phasing for Highway 73 roadway improvements.
- View English version of the Highway 73 presentation.
- View Spanish version of the Highway 73 presentation.
See character and environment.
After receiving final clearances, the project will be advertised for construction bids. Construction is expected to begin in the fall of 2023 and continue into 2025. Construction is planned to progress from Plettner Lane to Buffalo Park Road in several phases. Traffic impacts should be expected throughout the construction project as Highway 73 is reduced to a single lane, on and off, during daytime and evening work activities. Two lanes of traffic will be maintained during the peak hours of 5:30 a.m. to 8:30 a.m. and 3:30 p.m. to 5:30 p.m..
Utility Relocations and Site Preparation:
Gas Lines: Xcel crews will remobilize to finish a new gas service to the Jefferson County Sheriff's Mountain Precinct Office. Crews will pothole existing utilities Thursday, July 27 from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. just north of the Buffalo Park Road intersection. Flaggers will implement one-lane closures and uniformed traffic control officers will control the intersection traffic signals.
Underground boring will begin Friday, July 28 and continue from the Jefferson County Sheriff's Office parking lot toward the west. Crews will resume work in the southbound Highway 73 "slip lane" to Buffalo Park Road to make the gas line connections. Some work will occur at night for the gas line boring operations that affect Highway 73. The remainder of work will occur during the daytime hours of 8 a.m. through 4 p.m.
Electric Lines: Existing overhead lines on poles will be relocated underneath Highway 73 from Little Cub Creek Road to Buffalo Park Road in preparation for the upcoming road reconstruction. Later, transformers and switch cabinets will be placed.
Stage 2 boring has been completed and the Highway 73 right turn "slip lane" to Buffalo Park Road was reopened by Friday night, July 21.
Crews will finish Stage 3 boring and conduit placement this week. Drilling equipment will remain along the shoulder of southbound Highway 73 and Little Cub Creek Road as it places an underground conduit.
Nighttime work will occur Tuesday and Wednesday overnight from 6 p.m. to 5 a.m. One lane of Highway 73 will be closed to traffic.
Crews will install a large vault that will connect the bored feeder line conduit. Excavation, placement, backfill and asphalt patching of the vault area will occur next week August 1 through 3. All work will occur during the daytime from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. The northbound lane of Highway 73 will be closed for this work.
See Xcel Energy Feeder Line Map (PDF).
Efforts to maintain two-way traffic on Highway 73 during the utility work will continue. However, intermittent one-lane closures are necessary. Work is planned to occur through August 14, 2023 from Monday through Friday, between the hours of 8 a.m. through 4 p.m. Work hours will then be adjusted to accommodate the new school year calendar.
Stakeholder Engagement Process:
Public involvement and feedback provided in 2021 were incorporated in the final design. Jefferson County will continue to develop a public information plan to implement during construction. Efforts are currently underway to identify and incorporate the needs of Evergreen Schools, Evergreen Fire Department, Jefferson County Sheriff's Office, Evergreen Parks and Recreation, the Evergreen Chamber of Commerce, and area businesses. The information plan will focus on ways to: (1) Reduce traffic congestion, (2) Communicate planned work events, and (3) accommodate fire and emergency response. This plan will be implemented and refined throughout construction.
Evergreen Lake North Trail Project:
The county is coordinating with Evergreen Metro District and the Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT) to mitigate the traffic impacts from construction of Evergreen Lake North Trail Project on Highway 73 and Colorado Highway 74. See Evergreen Park and Recreation District's project webpage, call the project information hotline at 720-356-4440, or email the project team to learn more.
For Questions:
Your feedback is valuable in the decision-making process. For questions, please email Transportation and Engineering.
Jefferson County and Xcel Energy will be performing utility work along Highway 73 south of downtown Evergreen in July and August 2023. The work will occur between Buffalo Park Road and Little Cub Creek Road.
Work is planned to occur during the hours of 8:30 a.m. through 4:00 p.m. through August 14, 2023.
Jeffco states it will continue efforts to maintain two-way traffic on Highway 73 during the utility work, but intermittent one-lane shutdowns are expected. Please note that Jeffco’s utility work along Highway 73 is not part of the Evergreen Lake North Trail project or detour, but may impact traffic in the area.
For more information, please visit Jeffco's website about the JC-73 improvement project at: https://www.jeffco.us/Blog.aspx?IID=100
~www.JeffCO.us
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