Both directions of I-25 were temporarily shut down between Dry Creek and County Line in Centennial after strong winds damaged the IKEA sign early Thursday evening.
RTD light rail service was also affected in the area, forcing RTD officials to terminate E and F line service at Arapahoe Station.
Due to nearby wind damage, E & F lines are now terminating at Arapahoe Station. Bus Shuttles in place between Arapahoe and Lincoln Stations.
— RTD (@RideRTD) February 19, 2016
South Metro Fire spokesman Steve Standridge said that two panels had been blown loose by wind gusts of 20 to 40 miles per hour.
"We were fearful that if the winds continued to blow and pull them further loose, the panels would eventually come off and fly across the RTD line as well as into the highway, potentially striking a vehicle," said Standridge.
CSP Castle Rock tweeted the 6-feet by 10-feet panels are all made of steel and are "very dangerous."
CDOT warning about I-25 shutdown because of IKEA sign. pic.twitter.com/l1l1OIaw8R
— Jaclyn Allen (@jaclynreporting) February 19, 2016
After almost two hours of working, Standridge said that the panels had been secured.
"They drilled holes to the back side of the panel through the front side, then secured it in multiple places using wire to make sure it wouldn’t come lose," said Standridge. "We are confident it is safe."
I-25 was back open in both directions at around 8:15 p.m.
Megan Thompson, a spokeswoman for IKEA Centennial, said their team would review the sign to determine if anything else needs to be done.
"We are thankful to South Metro Fire for their quick action in getting this fixed, and we apologize for any inconvenience to travelers on the light rail or on I-25," Thompson said.
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