Drivers will have to brave construction zones in the Interstate 25 “Gap” between Monument and Castle Rock until 2022 instead of late 2021, state transportation officials said Tuesday.

Widening of the roughly 18-mile stretch will take longer than expected due to unforeseen problems with aging pavement, said Tamara Rollison, a spokeswoman for the Colorado Department of Transportation.

And Colorado Springs drivers likely will experience more construction this spring on the southern portion of the Gap, CDOT officials said in a Tuesday progress report. But two lanes will remain open in each direction during daytime, unless an emergency arises, Rollison said.

“There are sections of the highway that are deteriorated and that will need more work when it comes to paving,” she said.

Colorado Department of Transportation holds long-range vision meeting for portion of Interstate 25

The work isn’t expected to increase the $350 million project cost, she said, as two controversial toll lanes are added to the Gap, widening it from two to three lanes in each direction.

The cost is being paid with $250 million from the state, $65 million from the U.S. Department of Transportation and $35 million from local governments, including El Paso and Douglas counties.

After crews broke ground in early September, CDOT said the new lanes would open to drivers by the end of 2021, with testing on tolling infrastructure continuing into the next year before the state began collecting tolls. Now officials aren’t sure when in 2022 the project will be done, Rollison said.

More Information

CDOT will hold a “telephone town hall” from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. Jan. 30 for residents to learn more about the I-25 Gap widening. An automated system will call residents throughout the corridor at random to participate. Those who don’t get a call and would like to join can call 877-229-8493 and enter 112034.

A project open house is scheduled from 5 to 7 p.m. Feb. 7 at the Woodmoor Improvement Association Barn, 1691 Woodmoor Drive, in Monument. Attendees can talk to project experts and review informational displays.

Most work so far has been on the 5 miles from Castle Rock to Sky View Lane, where nighttime lane closures have shifted traffic toward the interstate shoulders. Crews now are building the toll lanes in the center of the roadway, so drivers will continue to see trucks enter and exit the median. This summer, traffic on the Gap’s northern portion will move toward the median as crews expand the highway’s shoulders, according to CDOT.

Drivers soon will see similar overnight lane closures and shifts on the 7 miles from Greenland Road to Monument. Workers have started placing concrete barriers in preparation, Rollison said.

One major shift will occur this spring at the Greenland Road interchange, where northbound lanes will be moved toward the southbound lanes, separated by a barrier, so the eastern half of the interchange can be built. For construction of the western half, traffic will shift in the opposite direction.

Ramps also will be built at the Greenland Road and County Line Road interchanges, which will require ramp closures lasting up to a week at a time, CDOT announced.

Construction on the Gap’s middle segment, from Sky View Lane to Greenland Road, is expected to begin this summer.

Next fall, Monument Hill Road will be closed at Misty Acres Boulevard for at least four months while crews build new wildlife crossings. The Colorado Heights Camping Resort and Palmer Ridge High School still will be accessible.

If possible, drivers should exit I-25 instead of stopping in work zones if they need to pull over, Rollison said.

The speed limit has been reduced to 65 mph on the Gap’s northern and southern segments.

“We urge people to really pay attention,” Rollison said. “They are in a construction zone, and they need to heed the signs, slow down and give themselves plenty of space between them and the car ahead.”

To receive text alerts about roadway conditions, text “I25Gap” to 21000. For more information about the project, call the project hotline at 720-745-5434, email i25gap @codot.gov or visit i25gap.codot.gov.