But he is glad to see the project begin.
By By: Ginger Jenkins
“I like the fact that they are actually doing [the flyover.] I
think that should have been done a long time ago,” he said. “I
applaud the city for finally doing it.”
The $6 million project got under way Monday. It will connect
Perry and Front streets by a bridge that spans the Union Pacific
railroad tracks, which run along the town’s highly populated east
side. It is expected to be completed by the end of this
year.
The bridge will carry more than 17,000 cars a day, protect
motorists from trains and enhance traffic flow in the area, town
officials said.
“It will reduce some congestion that we have difficulty with in
peak hours,” said Bob Goebel, the town’s assistant director of
public works.
The bridge also will provide a safer route for students
traveling to and from Douglas County High School, which is a mile
from that juncture.
“There is a high level of congestion before and after school and
certainly this is a high level of concern for us,” Assistant Town
Manager Fritz Sprage said. “This is one step in that
direction.”
Missy Martin, then 16, was hit by a train in 2002 when her car
stalled on the tracks. She was on her way to school.
Severely injured, she has since returned to school and is
continuing with rehabilitation. The highly publicized accident drew
attention to the need for a connector over the tracks, which the
Castle Rock Transportation Master Plan also identified that year as
a necessity.
The town awarded the project to Sema Construction of
Centennial.
The three-lane bridge was designed by Felsburgh, Holt and
Ullevig, one of the town’s three design consultants. It will be
capable of handling four lanes of traffic, if necessary, in the
future.
“It is going to improve the north-south egress, which is
important, and, hopefully, make the commute a little bit easier for
our residents during the peak hours,” Sprage said.
Traffic delays are expected during construction. The town will
be implementing detour routes.
“The town will be putting in a temporary signal along the detour
route at Highway 86 and Woodlands boulevards,” Goebel said. “It’s
going to try some patience for awhile, but the benefit the flyover
will provide will be well worth it.”