Ann from Arvada writes, “What's driving you crazy? Construction on Ralston Road west of Wadsworth. The construction has been going on for months and nothing seems to get done. What are they doing?”
It might look like at times nothing is happening on Ralston Road west of Wadsworth in Olde Town Arvada, but I saw work happening during my latest visits. More on what they are doing in just a bit.
Ben Irwin with the City of Arvada tells me the recent large storms have affected the construction zone and pushed back the work a bit, “The work schedule is dependent on weather, and will be adjusted in the event of adverse weather conditions. We also continue to ask motorists to drive carefully through the work zone, as slowdowns and delays are possible.”
Arvada is nearing the end of the first of two phases of improving and widening the Ralston Road corridor. Ralston Road is a major arterial roadway for Arvada’s transportation network, serving 23,000 vehicle trips each day. Phase one runs between Upham and Yukon Streets followed by phase two, the segment between Yukon and Garrison Streets. Currently Ralston Rd is in a one lane configuration and it will remain in place through April.
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Work crews say they have made significant progress on the project with over 75% of the work completed. What they have left to finish by the end of April is the installation of street lighting, replace the medians at Olde Wadsworth, finish the retaining wall on the northwest corner of Olde Wadsworth, reconstruct the Arvada monument sign, finish all sidewalks, do the final paving and restore the landscaping.
Overall Arvada is widening the existing 9 foot vehicle travel lanes to 11 feet. The city says this will help decrease sideswipe accidents. They are also creating an 8-foot wide pedestrian path, similar to a trail, allowing cyclists access to parks and trails. This sidewalk width exceeds ADA minimums and supports the needs of Arvada’s aging population. It also allows pedestrians to walk side-by-side or with their pets and creates distance from the travel lanes.
Arvada is also widening the center two-way-left-turn lanes to 12 feet to increase driver safety & comfort while stopped between passing vehicles. They are also reconstructing of their aging traffic signals with new technology to improve traffic progression. Phase 1 of the project is under active construction with phase two to follow this summer.
If you would like more updates as the project continues you can visit the Ralston Road project page. You can also call or email questions about phase one of the Ralston Road project, 720-443-0999 or ralstonroadreconstruction1@gmail.com. For questions about the Ralston Road Improvement Project Phase Two, contact City Engineer Trang Tran, 720-898-7646 or Ttran@arvada.org.
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