A new Littleton intersection aims to reduce traffic in the city’s most congested area and improve a busy roadway between Denver and Douglas County.

Littleton officials and developers Wednesday broke ground on a “quadrant road” intersection at Santa Fe Drive and Mineral Avenue. The new intersection follows years of public demand to reduce traffic delays and improve safety in the area.

Planned for the southwest corner of the intersection, the quad road design eliminates direct left turns from the intersection. Instead, left turns are relocated to a separate roadway. This expands green-light timing and improves overall flow in a corridor already experiencing thousands of motorists a day, according to the city.

Expected to complete in 2027, the “Mineral Avenue Intersection Improvements Project” includes new roadways, traffic signals, U-turn lanes and a roundabout feeding into the future River Park development.

Built by SEMA Construction, the project costs $21.4 million. Federal grants and developer contributions provided $18.6 million. Littleton spent $2.8 million.

“We want the people living, working, shopping and dining here to be able to access the full benefits of the region, and to be connected to the RTD light rail station, as well as South Platte Park and the Mary Carter Greenway,” Littleton City Manager Jim Becklenberg said in a news release.

Up to 60,000 motorists travel along Santa Fe Drive daily, while roughly 30,000 motorists travel through Mineral Avenue, according to Littleton officials. Transportation designers noted area drivers can experience up to 20-minute delays during peak hours.

If nothing changed, regional transportation officials said delays would become “significantly worse” by 2040, when they anticipate 115,000 motorists traveling through Santa Fe Drive and Mineral Avenue a day. Santa Fe Drive serves thousands of motorists daily between Denver and Douglas County as a straight-shot to downtown Denver (albiet through many stop lights).

“This is a project that is going to improve safety and efficiency not just for the people of Littleton, but for the traveling public across our entire region,” Littleton Mayor Kyle Schlachter said in the city’s news release.

Partners in the project range from the Denver Regional Council of Governments, Colorado Department of Transportation, the Federal Highway Administration, Regional Transportation District, Arapahoe County, Douglas County, South Suburban Parks and Recreation, Toll Brothers and Evergreen Devco.

Construction-caused traffic impacts will be posted to Littleton’s Cone Zone page.