The justice system isn’t known for it’s speed.
And that’s especially true these days at the Arapahoe County Justice Center in Centennial, where a massive construction project has shuffled the courthouse’s entrances and has court officials warning visitors to prepare for long lines.
But early next year, when work on the new entrances to the two courthouses is complete, court officials say any delays suffered in the next few months will have been well worth it.
“It’s going to be helpful to everybody,” said Laurie McKager, the district administrator for the 18th Judicial District, which includes Arapahoe County.
Haley McKean, a spokeswoman for Arapahoe County, said the project will cost $5.4 million and is on schedule to open in January 2014.
The busy courthouse near East Arapahoe Road and South Potomac Street has struggled with a crush of visitors for several years. On Mondays and Tuesdays — the courthouse’s busiest days — the security line often stretched all the way to the parking lot, forcing visitors to stand in the cold.
The new entryway will solve those problems, McKager said. Once it’s complete, it will mean shorter lines that are usually located inside.
“We wanted to make sure everyone is standing inside and not out in the weather,” McKager said.
The new entrance also means visitors who have business in both courthouses only have to go through security once. Now, if someone has to visit the clerks office in the main courthouse, and the probation division in the second courthouse across the way, they have to go through security lines twice.
McKager said that while there will still be separate entrances for the two courthouses, a secure hallway connecting the buildings will mean visitors don’t have to pass through two metal detectors.
“Once you are through security at any entrance you can go to either building,” she said.
Before the construction project started, the lobbies in each building were often packed. In the main courthouse, two metal detectors and X-ray machines dominated the available space, and lines at the clerk’s windows often jammed what space remained.
Once the new project is complete, the limited lobby space will be much more open, McKager said.
But, in the meantime, visitors to the courthouse have to use the temporary entrances. For the main courthouse, that entrance is on the southwest side of the building, facing the county jail.
Unlike the old entrance, this one has just one X-ray machine and metal detector, so the line can move slowly, particularly on busy days.
McKager said it’s a good idea for visitors to show up early while construction is ongoing so they have enough time to make it through security and still make it to court on time.