The City of Aurora was allocated $12.4 million in American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) funds through the Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT) and the Denver Regional Council of Governments (DRCOG) toward Phases 1 and 2 of the I-225/Colfax/17th Place Interchange improvement project. The I-225 and Colfax Interchange project is essential to improving traffic flow, safety, and access to the adjacent Fitzsimons/Anschutz Medical Campus, a regional life sciences and medical hub. The campus services 15,900 employees; 23,000 patients, students, and visitors; and 58,000 car trips in and out each day. As the main transportation link to this campus, the Colfax Interchange project not only will create construction-related jobs, but will assist long-term job growth as the campus and surrounding areas are built out.
Hamon and Atkins worked together as contractor and construction manager/quality oversight, respectively, for the construction of Phase 2. Major features of Phase 2 includes constructing two bridges: a 2-span, 200 foot-long by 51 foot-wide bridge taking Potomac Street over Tollgate Creek, and a 7-span, 600 foot-long by 100 foot-wide bridge carrying 17th Place over Tollgate Creek creating the new Gateway to the Anschutz Medical Campus. Hamon also constructed a new slip ramp from southbound I-225 to Colfax and the 17th Place gateway. The slip ramp was constructed of 37,000 cubic yards of mechanically reinforced earth with 50,000 square feet of architectural precast panel facing. 4,000 linear feet of RCP drainage pipe up to 60 inches in diameter and 15,000 square yards of concrete paving completed the project.
Due to right-of-way issues, the original contract envisioned constructing only 75% of the 17th Place gateway to the Anchutz Medical Complex. Once right-of-way issues were resolved, Hamon, working in collaboration with Atkins and the City of Aurora, was able to construct 100% of the 17th Place bridge and reconstruct major portions of the Colfax on-ramp to I-225, all within the City’s original budget and timeline for the project.
