Open house to review North Meadows Extension options
by Elizabeth Wood West
The Town of Castle Rock will be hosting a public open house on Thursday, September 15, from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m., in the commons area at Castle Rock Middle School, located at 2575 Meadows Blvd. in The Meadows Development in Castle Rock. The purpose of the open house is to present town engineering staff’s findings regarding the North Meadows Extension project – including a possible underpass alternative.
According to the town’s former Assistant Public Works Director Maria D’Andrea, “The purpose of the study (Value Engineer Study completed earlier this year) was to identify cost saving ideas that still maintained the integrity of the project.
The concept of an underpass configuration for the I-25 interchange was considered as part of the study and became a Supplemental Recommendation. A Supplemental Recommendation is an idea that may add value to the project and could be considered, but does not necessarily result in lower costs,” D’Andrea said. She continued, “Going under I-25 versus over I-25 with the interchange has been considered previously, but at a location further north on I-25.
The Castle Rock Economic Development Council sponsored a study earlier this year that analyzed the feasibility and rough additional cost of going under I-25 in approximately the same location as the overpass is currently proposed. This study showed some merit in the proposal so it was further analyzed in the Value Engineer Study,” she said.
Engineering Manager Dale Wegner described the current draft the town is working on, showing the ramps on the east side of I-25 remaining in the same location as the overpass option, but lower into the hill. On the west side of I-25, the alignment moves slightly north for a short distance to take advantage of the existing topography to help reduce impacts to residents to the north of the new roadway. The intersection of the ramps and new roadway on the west side of I-25 will utilize a roundabout to control traffic movements. Wegner added that the underpass option at I-25 would need need approval from CDOT and the Federal Highway Administration.
Wegner said, “There is currently funding [for the North Meadows Extension project] from the town, county, CDOT, and some development funds that total $49 million. We are looking at phasing some of the construction to meet our budget limitations.” The Town is working to start construction in either 2013 or 2014.
For further information, contact Town Engineering Manager Dale Wegner at 720-733-2487 or dwegner@crgov.com. 
