The City of Brighton today held a kick-off ceremony for a widening project on Bridge Street (Colorado Highway 7) that will create a four-lane roadway between 22nd Avenue and 42nd Avenue. The $19.5 million project, which is being handled by prime contractor Brannan Sand and Gravel, is set to begin in early August and expected to be complete by Spring 2025.
Bridge Street is one of the City of Brighton's most traveled corridors, accommodating an average of 20,000 vehicles per day. The current single through-lane road will be expanded to two through-lanes of travel in both directions. In addition to widening operations, crews will be installing raised medians and turn lanes, implementing new curbs and gutters, replacing four traffic signals, making Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) compliant curb ramps and sidewalk improvements, and upgrading utilities. These improvements are expected to reduce traffic congestion, create safer and more accessible travel paths for multimodal users, and enhance the functionality of several intersection locations.
“Improving the Bridge Street corridor is something that has been in the works for many years,” said City Manager Michael Martinez. “I am pleased to be here with you today as we officially kick off a project that will pave the way to a brighter, more accessible future for our residents and commuters.”
Project Schedule
The project timeline is dependent on weather and resource availability and is subject to change. Normal working hours will be from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Friday. Crews may work on weekends as needed throughout the duration of the project. Work will be broken into the following three phases over the course of the project.
Phase I: Removals, widening operations & utility upgrades.
Phase II: Intersection improvements, including traffic signal replacements, sidewalk and ramp upgrades and curb and gutter implementation.
Phase III: Paving operations, landscaping and beautification efforts, and final roadway striping.
Travel Impacts
The project work zone will impact both east and westbound lanes. Drivers can expect realigned lanes during widening operations with one through-lane of traffic open in both directions. There will be no center turn-lane during the traffic realignment. Crews will begin widening the north side of the roadway first and transition to the south side mid-way through the project. Lane configurations will change with each phase throughout the course of the project.
There will be reduced driving speeds within the work zone. Though impacts to travel are expected to be minimal, drivers are encouraged to use alternate routes when available to minimize congestion. The project team anticipates delays of up to 10 minutes when traveling through the work zone. Please exercise extreme caution when driving through construction areas. Slow down, watch for workers and equipment and leave plenty of space between vehicles.
Community Meeting and Additional Information
Prior to the start of the project, a community meeting will be held from 5:30 p.m. - 6:30 p.m. on Aug. 8 at the Brighton Recreation Center (555 N. 11th Avenue). The Brighton community is invited to come meet the project team, ask questions, and gather resources for the upcoming construction. For more information, please call the project hotline at 970-880-4318, visit brightonco.gov/bridgestreet, or email BridgeStreetWidening@gmail.com.