Latest news with #JaredFiel
CBS News
29-05-2025
- General
- CBS News
Semi crash in I-25 construction zone in Northern Colorado led to extended closure, Construction will continue for 3 more years
A semi crashed into a bridge on Thursday morning, causing both directions of Interstate 25 to shut down in Northern Colorado for all of the morning and the early part of the afternoon. The crash happened in a stretch of the interstate that has been undergoing expansion construction. The Colorado Department of Transportation confirms crashes in the construction zone have been on the rise. The interstate fully reopened at approximately 3 p.m. CDOT has been working to expand both north and southbound lanes from Dacono through Fort Collins for years now. The project has completed work between Loveland and Fort Collins and is now focused on the stretches south of Loveland. CDOT's Jared Fiel said the construction zones between Loveland and Fort Collins also saw a spike in crashes during that work, however the rates dropped quickly after construction completed. While unable to confirm what caused Thursday morning's crash, Fiel said a majority of the collisions taking place in the construction zones are connected to excessive speeds. "We really need people to be aware this is a construction zone," Fiel said. While some may say the lanes appear to be smaller in the construction zones, Fiel said that is not the case. He said the cement barriers being closer to the lanes creates an optical illusion of a smaller lane, and leaves less margin for error. "Those lanes are just as wide as every other lane, it just appears tighter because the barrier is close," Fiel said. "It's nerve racking. You have to pay attention. You got to be on your toes, you know," said Max Salen, a truck driver passing through Colorado. Salen was transporting his truckload from Canada to Kansas. In his trek through Colorado he was instructed to avoid a portion of I-25 through Northern Colorado. "I have a wide load, I don't know what is going on," Salen said. When he heard about the construction and the Thursday morning crash, he said it did not surprise him too much that the area was more dangerous than other stretches. "It is a whole thing. Even my permit is telling me to go around all that stuff," Salen said. Salen said it is more challenging to navigate construction zones in such large trucks, especially when other drivers in smaller vehicles are speeding and cutting trucks off. "I'm always looking for someone stupid and to cut by you. It comes with the job," Salen said. "Oh yeah. Guys will whip around you. They don't care. But you have to account for that." Construction in the area isn't expected to be completed until 2028. Fiel said they have installed rumble strips to notify drivers they are entering work zones. CDOT is also in the testing phase of introducing speed cameras in the construction zones which would eventually issue citations to drivers for exceeding construction zone speed limits. "We know this eventually is going to make tings safer. What we need right now is for people to be paying attention, especially in a work zone," Fiel said.
Yahoo
16-04-2025
- Automotive
- Yahoo
North I-25 Express Lanes tolling delayed for fourth time. Here's when it might start.
The slow motion of government will continue to make for faster travel, as the start of tolling on the Interstate 25 express lanes between Fort Collins and Berthoud has been pushed back a fourth time. Tolling was first expected to start on the North I-25 Express Lanes Project stretch in mid-summer of 2024, then the end of 2024 and finally the spring of 2025. The new goal is for tolling to start at the end of 2025, Jared Fiel, Colorado Department of Transportation's Northeast Region spokesperson, wrote in an email to the Coloradoan. "Unforeseen scheduling conflicts," according to Fiel's email, citing information provided by the Colorado Transportation Investment Office. That office is an independent, government-owned business within CDOT that has the statutory power to issue bonds and enter into contracts with public and private entities as well as set tolls. Fiel said those conflicts include equipment delays and coordination of anti-weaving technology Building an express, or toll, lane in each direction of the 19-mile stretch helped get the project built ahead of schedule. Revenue from the tolls will be used to pay off the loan required to build the $900 million North I-25 Express Lanes Project. CDOT opened each direction's two general purpose lanes and one express lane in December 2023, six years after the project kicked off. The equipment to be installed includes that needed for tolling and anti-weaving technology, including software, cameras and roadway sensors that detect illegal crossing of double solid white lines. That technology has been used on southern sections of the North I-25 corridor and Interstate 70 in the mountains, resulting in significantly fewer crashes and an 85% drop in illegal crossing of double solid white line violations, according to the Colorado Transportation Investment Office. Those illegally crossing the double solid white lines can receive a $75 fine. It took more than two years for tolling to begin on the 18 miles of the I-25 South Gap Express Lanes Project from Castle Rock to Monument. Tolling on that stretch started Jan. 17, 2024. The $419 million project opened in November of 2022. When tolling begins on the North I-25 section, the costs will follow the static schedule similar to what is used for other parts of North I-25, Fiel wrote in the email. The static schedule adjusts rates based on normal busy times for the corridor. More specific tolling costs for the section between Berthoud and Fort Collins will be determined by the Colorado Transportation Investment Office Board as tolling gets closer to starting, the email read. In 2026, CDOT will begin implementing dynamic tolling along all express lane corridors, which will mean prices fluctuate based on real-time traffic congestion. Crews continue to work on the 6-mile extension of the North I-25 Express Lanes Project between the Berthoud exit (Colorado Highway 56) and Mead exit (Colorado Highway 66). The $400 million to $450 million project began in May of 2024 and is expected to be completed in May of 2028. When completed, it will for the first time include more than two lanes in each direction on I-25 from Fort Collins to Denver. This article originally appeared on Fort Collins Coloradoan: North I-25 Express Lanes tolling delayed for fourth time
