Sante Fe Drive, Mineral Avenue Project In Early Stages

LITTLETON, CO — The city is moving forward with a project to ease congestion at the intersection between Sante Fe Drive and Mineral Avenue, officials said. The team responsible for the project estimated that traffic will continue to grow in this area with the economy over the next 20 years, predicting that more than 90,000 cars might be driving along this portion of Sante Fe Drive per day by 2040.

The intersection will receive a new quadrant roadway, allowing officials to remove left-turns from the intersection by rerouting vehicles onto the new road, city officials said.

This project will also include new traffic signals, traffic signal re-timing, lane configurations and mobility improvements in the area, officials said.

This quadrant roadway was identified as the best solution to ease congestion and increase safety for both pedestrians and cyclists at the conclusion of studies conducted in 2018, officials said.

"The quadrant roadway is a proven and effective way to reduce congestion and improve safety at this intersection for relatively low costs and with minimal land impacts," officials said in a news release.

Designs of the concept will be presented to the public this summer, officials said. In the meantime, the city is looking for input on the intersection and on the proposed solution to it.

Construction is set to begin in 2023, with the improvements planned to be completed sometime in late 2024, officials said.