Colorado DOT completes roundabouts, widening on CO-9 Gap Project

The Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT) recently announced the completion of two new roundabouts and the widening of Colorado Highway 9 (CO-9) to four lanes in Summit County.

The department worked in partnership with SEMA Construction, and road work began on the Frisco to Iron Springs project on May 11, 2020 to widen the highway, according to a press release. Improvements included constructing a pedestrian underpass, installing noise walls, new roundabouts at two intersections, rebuilding the CO-9 southbound right turn lane onto Main Street, replacing traffic signals, and drainage improvements throughout the corridor.

“The completed project is the final stretch of the CO-9 Gap Project,” CDOT Executive Director Shoshana Lew said in a statement. “This has been a 20-year effort to modernize the busy route between Frisco and Breckenridge in order to move vehicles through the area efficiently, as well as improve access and safety for pedestrians and bicyclists. As a result, CO-9 is positioned to better accommodate the transportation and recreation needs of growing mountain communities and increasing tourism.”

Both Summit County and the Town of Frisco helped pay for the pedestrian underpass. The underpass was also funded in part by a State of Colorado Transportation Alternatives Program (TAP) grant.

CDOT worked with the Town of Frisco to incorporate the Frisco Trails Master Plan in the final two phases of the Gap Project, resulting in additional and improved pedestrian pathways from Frisco Main Street to County Commons. CDOT says these improvements will make the Frisco Peninsula Recreation Area—as well as the 55+ miles of recreation paths throughout Summit County—more accessible and safer to access. This includes new winter recreation opportunities for using the adjacent recreation path.