A $19 million Colorado Department of Transportation project upgrading the I-70 Business Loop near downtown Grand Junction is on schedule and under budget, the agency said Friday.
There are traffic impacts in the area, however.
According to CDOT’s resident engineer in Grand Junction, Kaitlyn Clark, the project includes improved utility infrastructure, improved street connections, improved multimodal accessibility, enhanced lighting and enhanced landscaping from south of Rood Avenue to about third street.
“The contractor has installed most of the storm drainage system, concrete and asphalt pavement, curb, gutter, and sidewalk along Pitkin Ave. and Third Street,” Clark said.
The contractor on the project is United Companies.
Currently, Third Street is closed between Ute Avenue and Pitkin Avenue, with access open for businesses, according to the city of Grand Junction.
“Pitkin Avenue will be one lane for the foreseeable future,” a city press release stated.
According to Clark, similar improvements will be installed along Ute Avenue, Second Street and First Street south of Rood Avenue.
“In addition to these improvements, the project will replace the signals at the intersection of First Street and Main Street and install landscaping improvements throughout the project limits,” Clark said.
The project is designed to improve reliability and safety for all road users, including motorists, cyclists, pedestrians and transit users, according to CDOT.
Clark said the project will also improve traffic flow and capacity.
“The safety and mobility improvements were identified during the 2008 Environmental Assessment to address the following: congestion, bring multimodal improvements for a safer and more comfortable travel experience for cars, pedestrians and cyclists, and provide effective business access along the corridor,” CDOT’s website for the project stated. “These and other improvements are part of CDOT’s 10-year plan for improvements statewide.”
The project is within its budget of $19.2 million, Clark said.
Clark cautioned road users to exercise caution while traveling through the construction zone.
“We take the safety of our employees and the motorists traveling the roadways we maintain extremely seriously and ask that anyone traveling this section of the road heed the signage, slow down, and drive safely through the construction site,” Clark said.
The project is expected to wrap up in October 2025, according to Clark.
A mobility hub has been proposed for 261 Ute Ave., which is owned by the city of Grand Junction. CDOT has received a federal grant for the mobility hub, but the hub is not part of this specific project.
The Rood Avenue to Third Street improvements are phase six of CDOT’s I-70 Business Loop improvement project. The next phase, which will cover Third Street to Sixth Street, is expected to commence in 2026, according to CDOT. The previous phase upgrade the business loop in the area of Grand Avenue and First Street.
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