AURORA | Tom Tobiassen, Regional Transportation District board member, revved up the 349 CAT excavator to break ground at the Yale Street bridge construction site on May 11.
“This is the first step of completing the light rail to various activity centers in Aurora,” Tobiassen said at a groundbreaking ceremony near the construction site.
The project will replace the Yale Street bridge and eventually accommodate a FasTracks light rail station at East Iliff Avenue and Blackhawk Street, where 600 surface parking spaces are currently planned. When the project is complete in 2014, Interstate 225 will also be widened between East Mississippi Avenue and South Parker Road.
As of now, Aurora has only one light rail station, the Nine Mile Station in the southeastern portion of the city. RTD’s vision is to connect the Nine Mile Station with the Peoria/Smith Station, with six stations in between.
Colorado Department of Transportation Commissioner Trey Rogers spoke about the significance of the project at the groundbreaking ceremony, saying it’s long overdue. “One of the most frequent questions we get is ‘When are you going to finish the widening of I-225,’” Rogers said .”Today, we get to say, ‘Right now.’”
RTD board member Bill McMullen said once the light rail station is built, property values around it will soar.
Councilwoman Molly Markert said her constituents have been awaiting I-225 improvements for at least the past eight years.
“I-225 is like our spine,” she said. “This is major.”
Part of the construction project will be facilitated by the Colorado Department of Transportation, which approved a $42.8 million contract in April. The contract was awarded to Centennial-based SEMA Construction that includes the widening of Interstate 225 between East Mississippi Avenue and South Parker Road.
While the bridge is set to be finished within six months, the construction project will impact traffic for some time.
All lanes on Yale Avenue over I-225 will be closed through Dec. 1, according to the Colorado Department of Transportation. Between 9 p.m. and 6 a.m. on May 11 and 8 p.m. to 10 a.m. on May 12, all lanes will be closed on northbound and southbound I-225 between Parker Road and Mississippi Avenue.
The rest of Aurora’s I-225 light rail project could be completed sooner than anticipated if RTD accepts a proposal by a contractor. Last month, Kiwit Infrastructure Company submitted an unsolicited proposal to build out the rest of the I-225 Rail Line. A Request for Proposals was released the week of May 7 and RTD officials expect other companies will submit proposals as well.