Drivers going from southbound Santa Fe to eastbound C-470 will soon be able to do so without waiting at a red light.

A Colorado Department of Transportation project to build a flyover ramp, eliminating the need for a left-turn light, got under way last month.

According to CDOT Public Relations Officer Mindy Crane, the ramp is a 12-span curved flyover bridge about 1,730 feet long. The highest point in elevation is 5,471 feet and is roughly 60 feet above C-470 and 30 feet above the railroad tracks at the highest point. Projections for 2035 show about 1,500 vehicles per hour using this flyover during peak hours.

Based on a study for the interchange, Crane said, there are 600 vehicles making this left turn in the morning peak hour and 610 in the evening peak hour.

“Peak-hour volume is typically around 10 percent of the all-day volume in this area, so it's reasonable to assume that the current daily traffic level for this left turn is around 6,000 vehicles per day,” Crane said. “The flyover ramp really is going to improve mobility and safety. It will really help improve traffic on Santa Fe and we won’t have people backing up at the signal, especially during peak hours.”

Presently, the only sign of an impending construction project is some orange fencing on the south side of the intersection. Crane said crews are doing utility work and preparing the ground for the project.

Most of the lane closures that could impact traffic will take place at night, Crane said.

The total cost of the project is $25.7 million, with $4.6 million of that coming from funds supplied by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act.

Most of the project is in Douglas County and although Littleton will not be responsible for road maintenance, city officials have expressed concern about the ramp’s height and snow removal.

“I think we are all concerned,” Littleton Mayor Doug Clark said. “I don’t think anybody likes the fact that it’s going to be way up there, but I don’t think there are a lot of alternatives.”

Crane said as far as she knows, DOT is not putting in any de-icing systems on the Santa Fe/C-470 flyover.

“That’s something that could help us on some of our flyovers,” she said. “They know bridges and overpasses freeze first.”

Crane said the project is scheduled to take about a year.

Crane recommends that drivers who use that intersection go to www.coloradodot.info and sign up for e-mail alerts so they can see the status of the project and when scheduled lane closures are planned.

“It’s a real tool for people to utilize to be aware of what’s going on,” she said.