WELD COUNTY, Colo. — A portion of the Interstate 25 Express Lane in northern Colorado will close for at least three years.
The Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT) said it will close the southbound I-25 Express Lane between Johnstown and Berthoud starting at 9 a.m. Friday.
The southbound closure from Colorado Highway 60 and Colorado Highway 56 will be in place through late 2027.
CDOT said the closure will allow crews to perform work during the I-25 North Express Lanes, Mead to Berthoud project.
CDOT said the work over the next three years includes concrete paving in both directions of I-25, reconstructing the I-25 interchange at Weld County Road 34, as well as five other bridges, and adding one 12-foot Express Lane in each direction from CO 66 to CO 56.
CDOT said the closure of the southbound I-25 lanes will increase safety for work crews and the traveling public and will allow work to proceed faster and more efficiently.
Traffic detours
To implement this Express Lane closure, the southbound I-25 on-ramp at CO 56 (Berthoud) will be closed from 9 p.m. to 5 a.m. Friday, Nov. 22 for a traffic switch. Crews will stripe lanes, move barriers and switch traffic onto new lanes.
Traffic on CO 56 intending to travel south will turn north to Colorado Highway 60/Weld County Road 48 (exit 252), turn around and enter southbound I-25, according to CDOT.
Following this traffic switch, southbound I-25 traffic will be shifted to the northbound I-25 lanes into a head-to-head configuration between CO 56 and CO 66 starting at 9 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 24. This configuration will be in place through late 2025.
The new I-25 configuration will require a traffic switch and overnight closures of the southbound I-25 on- and off-ramps at WCR 34 near Mead from 9 p.m. to 5 a.m. Sunday, Nov. 24, Crews will stripe lanes, move barriers and switch traffic into the new ongoing alignment. Motorists should plan for delays, CDOT said.
I-25 North Express Lanes Project
The I-25 North Express Lanes Project from Mead to Berthoud is a continuation of the approximately 20 miles of improvements that have been completed on I-25 between Berthoud to Fort Collins over the past six years.
CDOT said the six-mile project will expand and enhance I-25, from Colorado Highway 66 in Mead and connect to the newly built portion of I-25 just south of CO 56 in Berthoud.
Once complete in 2028, this project will complete a missing piece on I-25 and will be the first time there will be more than two lanes of I-25 from Denver to Fort Collins in both directions, CDOT said.
