If you drive on US 85, you will soon notice major changes at Highlands Ranch Parkway, Town Center Drive and C-470 in Douglas County as part of the US 85 Widening Project in Highlands Ranch.
Pending good weather, the first two new, innovative Continuous Flow Intersections (CFI) at Highlands Ranch Parkway and Town Center Drive are expected to open in phases the mornings of March 19 and March 26. The CFI at C-470 will open in April.
Once the new configuration is fully implemented, left-turning traffic at these intersections will be displaced to the outside edges of the road, allowing through traffic to move through the middle of an intersection simultaneously.
CFIs will be implemented during overnight operations requiring lane closures. Drivers can expect the new permanent left-turn alignments to be fully operational:
- The morning of Wednesday, March 19 – Southbound US 85 to eastbound Highlands Ranch Parkway traffic
- The morning of Wednesday, March 26 – Southbound US 85 to eastbound Town Center Drive traffic
Click the links to add these dates to your calendar!
The CFI at C-470, moving northbound US 85 to westbound C-470 traffic, will be opened in early/mid-April. The scheduled opening will be announced later after final signal testing is completed.
How to navigate a Continuous Flow Intersection
US 85 drivers turning left at the new CFI intersections will cross through traffic using a new signal prior to the intersection signal and proceed to the far-left side of the road, then make a left turn at the main intersection while through traffic proceeds as it would in a typical intersection. Right-turning traffic will use new dedicated right-turn bypass lanes that allow right turns on red while the displaced left-turn movement proceeds.
Watch this video to see how CFIs work.
Project Overview
In addition to reconstructing three intersections, the project has widened US 85 from four to six lanes and replaced and widened the bridge that carries US 85 over C-470. Multimodal improvements include bus stop enhancements, a new shared-use path for bicyclists and pedestrians on the east side of US 85, a below-grade crossing for the C-470 Trail at US 85, a below-grade crossing for the High Line Canal Trail at US 85, and a new pedestrian link from the Wolhurst Senior Community to the C-470 Trail.
The new trail and underpasses are expected to open in April 2025 (pending good weather) Work will continue through the summer of 2025 while crews complete the top layer of asphalt pavement and other punch-list items.
The newly widened roadway and reconstructed interchanges will alleviate traffic and create safer travel as part of the US 85 Widening Project and corridor improvements being made from Highlands Ranch Parkway to north of C-470 by Douglas County.
Get Updates on the US 85 widening project
Stay updated by signing up for emails – select “US 85 Construction.”
For more information about the upcoming work and to stay updated on construction impacts, please visit our website, douglas.co.us/us-85-construction.
Other Roadwork
Interested in knowing what’s happening on roads throughout Douglas County? Sign up for Douglas County’s Cone Zone email notifications. For statewide road conditions, visit cotrip.org.