Construction of new diverging diamond interchange prompts closures near Denver International Airport

Roadwork is underway near Denver International Airport that will cause some detours to the Pikes Peak Shuttle Lot for the construction of a new diverging diamond interchange.

The intersection design allows traffic to cross the opposite side of the road to improve safety and efficiency.

The project is a part of the airport's Pena's Phase 1B Project and includes:

• Reconstruction of Peña Boulevard Outbound and widening of Peña Boulevard bridges over Jackson Gap Street to make travel for events on Peña Boulevard easier and reduce costs for pavement maintenance.
• Construction of new direct connect ramps from both East and West Terminals to New Castle Street and 78th Avenue in an effort to meet the needs of rental car companies and ground transportation. Dedicated routes for buses will remove the buses from the Jackson Gap interchange so as not to mix with other traffic.
• Reconstruction of Peña Boulevard and Jackson Gap Street to a new diverging diamond interchange and meet future growth for vehicle traffic operations; reduce impacts to DIA passengers, rental car buses and other users.

While a temporary off-ramp is available, construction in the area will cause travel impacts. Drivers are urged to use the 75th Avenue off-ramp, which is located west of the Jackson Gap Street off-ramp, and follow detour signs for Jackson Gap Street. During this phase of work, westbound traffic on 75th Avenue from Jackson Gap is prohibited. Detour routes will be in place and signs will be posted.

If you're accessing the Pikes Peak Shuttle Lot, inbound traffic heading toward the Pikes Peak shuttle lot must exit at 75th Avenue. This is the first posted cell phone lot exit when approaching Gun Club Road, just east of E-470. Drivers on Jackson Gap will not be able to travel westbound on 75th Avenue to the Pikes Peak Shuttle Lot. To access the Pikes Peak shuttle lot from the Terminal, using outbound Peña, which is leaving westbound from the airport, drivers will need to exit Peña at Jackson Gap and travel north on Jackson Gap to westbound 78th Avenue. Then, drivers must proceed to southbound Gun Club Road.

While crews are on scene working, drivers need to remember to be extra cautious driving around the area. 

"There are going to be crews out there and we want them to be safe," Michael Konopasek, spokesperson for DIA. "We know that there are times that people will speed on Peña, but we don't want folks to be doing that. We want them to take their time. If you are late for a flight, please don't speed. Please take your time because there are a lot of folks out there and we want them to be safe."

This project is expected to last through mid-November. 

The original contract value for the project is $50,793,225.40. This includes the entire diverging diamond interchange (all of Jackson Gap from 78th to 75th Avenue), outbound Peña from the terminal to Jackson Gap, Bridge widening on Peña at Jackson Gap, and the construction of the direct connect ramps from the terminal to New Castle, plus the reconstruction of portions of New Castle.

A 2015 traffic study by the University of Missouri and Missouri Department of Transportation found that diverging diamond interchanges reduced crashes by anywhere from 35% to over 60%.

There are currently four diverging diamond interchanges in Colorado and one is currently being built in Johnstown at the Highway 60 and Interstate 25 interchange.