Repaving project on US 24 in Teller County has drivers frustrated about traffic congestion
Scott Harrison
TELLER COUNTY, Colo. (KRDO) —The Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT) plans to start paving operations Wednesday on a 12-mile stretch of US 24, from just west of Woodland Park to just east of Florissant.
That has some drivers, who are already concerned about traffic congestion so far, wondering how much worse it could get — especially with the Fourth of July holiday weekend approaching.
The situation reached a head on Sunday, June 8, when dozens of drivers reported being stuck in a massive traffic backup in the eastbound lane between Divide and Florissant.
Drivers said that crossing the eight-mile stretch, which usually takes around ten minutes, took an hour or longer.
“I actually got stuck in that traffic,” said David Autrey, a volunteer firefighter in nearby Lake George, in Park County. ” It took me four-and-a-half hours to get from Woodland Park to Lake George. A normal 25- to 30-minute drive. It’s made it so that we don’t go down the mountain unless we have to.”
The affected segment of US 24 is winding and narrow, having only one lane in each direction, little roadside space to pull over, and no rest stops.
Drivers said that travel was particularly heavy that day, but they also wondered if construction cones along the route were a factor in the traffic congestion — even though crews don’t work on Sundays.
In fact, anticipating heavy weekend summer traffic, crews don’t work between noon on Fridays and 7 a.m. on Mondays.
Drivers also wonder if traffic signals at the US 24/Highway 67 intersection weren’t properly synchronized to move traffic efficiently.
A CDOT spokeswoman said that she was aware of some traffic backups, but didn’t say whether the agency plans to make any traffic changes in the area.
On Monday afternoon during rush hour, KRDO 13’s The Road Warrior drove along the affected stretch and found alternating lane closures in one area; a flagger directed traffic, and a pace car led drivers through in one direction at a time.
The traffic delay from the closures was no longer than ten minutes; a short time later, the closures ended for the day.
So far, the only visible changes from construction are a new center median and a repaved left turn lane for eastbound US 24 drivers at the Highway 67 intersection.
The $12 million project includes replacing guardrails to meet new safety standards and upgrading curbs and gutters.
Crews are scheduled to start repaving on Wednesday at the east end of the project, between Divide and Florissant; much of the work will be during daylight hours, with occasional overnight work.
“Is it worth it? Do we really need to pave this?” Autrey asked. “If they’re going to widen it, sure. But if all they’re doing is repaving it, not at all. The road’s OK. There are a few potholes that can be fixed, but nothing that calls for what they’re doing now.”
The Road Warrior spoke with several merchants in Divide who said that they’re aware of the recent traffic congestion but have experienced no negative impacts so far.
“That may change once the paving starts,” one merchant remarked.