April’s light-rail work looms as triple-threat for traffic
LAKEWOOD – Motorists who rely on West 6th Avenue as they head to and from the foothills and mountains to take advantage of spring snow sports can expect a few traffic-induced headaches from a trio of light rail closures covering much of April.
The first leg of the triple-threat will be early next week when prep work to ease the roll-out of the FasTracks light rail bridge over West 6th Avenue will close most lanes of the highway between the Simms Union interchange and Kipling Street overnight Monday and Tuesday, according to an announcement released Friday by the Regional Transportation District.
West Corridor light rail crews will remove the center median on 6th Avenue just east of Simms/Union in preparation for the rollout, replacing the safety barrier with a temporary one. To accommodate the work, single lane closures on both eastbound and westbound 6th Avenue will begin at 7 p.m. both nights, extending to the closure to four lanes at 8 p.m. when the center two lanes of both eastbound and westbound 6th Avenue are blocked off each night.
All lanes are expected to reopen by 5:30 a.m. Tuesday and Wednesday.
The planned closures depend on weather conditions, according to a Regional Transportation District announcement released Friday.
The he second project will limit the use of the center lanes along a stretch of West 6th Avenue for about 10 days beginning April 11 while Denver Transit Construction Group crews relocate a signboard.
The work will close the east- and west-bound center lanes of the heavily traveled highway between the Simms/Union exits and Indiana Street to move the Colorado Department of Transportation sign. The sign is in the middle of the highway near the area of the entrance road to Red Rocks College.
The sign-related lane closures are expected to continue through April 21, but the work schedule – and its impact on traffic – could be altered by weather conditions, according to a spokeswoman for the construction group. DTCG is an umbrella coalition of West Corridor light-rail line contractors.
The spokeswoman said closing the lanes could shave more than a month off what otherwise could be a 4- to 6-week project. The DTCG hopes to “significantly minimize the impact to commuters traveling on 6th Avenue,” according to announcement.
And the bridge roll-out itself will close all lanes of the highway between Kipling Street and the Simms/Union exits from the evening of Friday, April 23, through early Monday morning, April 26, as a transporter moves the bridge to its place astride the highway.
The bridge will move about 25 feet per hour, a journey that will take an estimated 30 hours, according to RTD. Major congestion can be expected along the detour routes during the total closure along that stretch.
FasTracks is a 12-year program to expand rail and bus service throughout the Regional Transportation District’s eight-county service area.
The FasTracks program, scheduled for completion in 2017, is expected to provide six new rail corridors, extend three existing corridors, build 122 miles of commuter and light rail track, add 18 miles of bus rapid transit service and 21,000 new parking spaces, redevelop Denver Union Station and expand other bus service.
