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Project Update

Jefferson County conducted public outreach to inform the Evergreen community about changes to the scope of improvements along Jefferson County Highway 73. The original limits of the project went from Plettner Lane to south of the Buffalo Park Road intersection. The major change is to divide the project into two separate phases. 

• Phase 1 project limits will be from Plettner Lane to south of Little Cub Creek Road.
• Phase 2 project limits will be from south of Little Cub Creek Road to south of Buffalo Park Road intersection.

Phase 1 of the project will include:

• Replacement of the bridge at the intersection of Highway 73 and Little Cub Creek Road.
• An eight-foot concrete, shared-use sidewalk along the east side of Highway 73.
• A southbound bike lane along the west side of Highway 73.
• Two public parking lots (across from Evergreen Fire Station north of the Assist-2-Sell Insurance building).
• Resurfacing and restriping of Highway 73.

The bridge at the intersection of Little Cub Creek Road is a deteriorating structure which needs to be replaced. The new structure will widen the intersection to allow left and right turns from Little Cub Creek Road onto Highway 73. The project will improve sight distance and turning lanes along the section of Highway 73, resulting in better traffic flow at the Little Cub Creek Road intersection. The public parking lots will be connected to downtown Evergreen by the eight-foot sidewalk. The installation of the shared-use sidewalk and the bike lane along Highway 73 are requirements of the federal grant that the Jefferson County received. 

Splitting the project into two phases will help project management and construction scheduling, resulting in a shorter construction duration. Phase 1 project construction will occur over two seven-month periods, with roadway construction anticipated beginning in May 2024. Roadway work will be shut down from December 2024 to April 2025. This shut-down period will reduce the potential impact of the project during the winter months and for much of the school year. Construction will resume in April 2025 and is anticipated to be completed before December 2025.

The future Phase 2 will begin at the end point of Phase 1 and go south of Buffalo Park Road. This phase will continue the shared-use sidewalk and roadway improvements. The county is currently seeking additional grant opportunities for funding the Phase 2 section.

Public outreach included collecting feedback from the community on the support for the project. The results of the survey showed lower support from the initial concept survey completed in 2020, however most respondents showed support for the project. The top concerns received from the public were: 

• Increased danger from wildfires and impacts to emergency service and evacuation routes.
  
  Jefferson County requires the contractor to submit an emergency response plan prior to commencing construction. The plan includes an action plan to limit possible impacts during an emergency event.
  
  
• Impacts to school traffic during construction.
  
  The county is trying to limit the impacts to roadway traffic during peak school travel times. The revised construction windows only occur during five months of the school year.
  
  
• Jefferson County should focus on traffic congestion along Highway 73, and not funding bicycle lanes or pedestrian facilities.
  
  Traffic flow will be improved with a center turn lane and improvements at the Little Cub Creek Road intersection. The project is being funded through the Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT) with Federal Highway Safety Improvement Program Funds for improving multimodal travel infrastructure.

Watch an informational video.

Project Delay

Jefferson County went out to bid for construction of the Jefferson County Highway 73 roadway project in July 2023. Not enough contractors were interested in bidding for the project. Therefore, Jefferson County canceled the bidding process. 

The county will adjust the scope of work and schedule for construction of the roadway improvements based on feedback received from contractors and upcoming public meetings. The earliest this project can start is spring 2024. Next steps for construction will be posted to this webpage.

Utility Relocations and Site Preparation

Xcel will install the underground electrical line from Buffalo Park Road to Little Cub Creek Road. Xcel previously installed the underground conduit and will pull the electrical line through the conduit. Jefferson County delayed the start of work one week, so it will occur when schools are not in session during Thanksgiving Break. Scheduled work within the roadway will occur during the day from 9:00 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. on November 20 through 21.  The revised schedule will allow Xcel to provide additional crews to improve efficiency during the installation. There will be a lane closure with alternating flagged traffic. The county will monitor the effectiveness of Xcel’s construction traffic management to ensure flow of traffic. However, due to the high volume of traffic along this section of Highway 73, the public should anticipate delays.

See Xcel Energy Feeder Line Map (PDF).

Previous Design Scope:

The county and engineering consultants designed the original scope of the project to run from the intersection of Jefferson County Highway 73 and State Highway 74 to south of Buffalo Park Road. Jefferson County is adjusting the scope of work and schedule for construction based on feedback received from contractors and the public. Below is additional information about the original design scope.

Watch a video about the original design.

View the presentation slides of the original design. (PDF) (11.9 MB)

For Questions

Your feedback is valuable in the decision-making process. For questions, please email Transportation and Engineering.

Thank you for your interest in this project!