• Why was the Bijou Street bridge and interchange closed completely?
• How long will the Bijou Street bridge project last?
• What are you doing about traffic congestion in and out of Downtown and the Westside during construction?
• What will the Bijou Street bridge look like when it's completed?
• What are you doing to minimize the impacts to Downtown businesses?
• Why do the construction schedules for Bijou, Colorado and Cimarron bridges overlap?
• What kind of public input went into the design of the bridges?
• What are you doing to keep the Pikes Peak Greenway trail open?
• How will visitors to Colorado Springs find their way into and around Downtown and the Westside
• Will the Bijou Street bridge have bike lanes?
• How can pedestrians cross between the Westside and Downtown while the bridge is closed?
• What is being done to help businesses impacted by the bridge closure?
• Will traffic on I-25 be impacted by Bijou Street bridge construction?

Q: How long will the Bijou Street bridge project last?
A: It is scheduled for less than 10 months, from Jan. 3 to fall 2007. Contract requirements placed by CDOT limited the closure to a window between Jan. 2 and Thanksgiving (Nov. 22).

Q: What are you doing about traffic congestion in and out of Downtown and the Westside during construction?
A: CDOT and Rockrimmon Constructors have carefully coordinated detour routes, including signage and the timing of traffic signals, with the City of Colorado Springs to maximize the flow of traffic and minimize inconvenience as best as possible.

Q: What will the Bijou Street bridge look like when it’s completed?
A: The Bijou Street bridge will be a gateway entrance to both Downtown and the Westside, with distinctive 17-foot obelisks anchoring a pedestrian- and bike-friendly structure. The new bridge’s ‘ornamental lighting and railings, as well as attractive stonework in its abutments and enhanced landscaping at both ends will complement Downtown’s existing cityscape. For drawings of the new bridge, click here. Also, the City’s Cimarron Street bridge, which is undergoing an emergency rebuild in 2007, will mirror this design, providing twin gateways into Downtown and the Westside.

Q: What are you doing to minimize the impacts to Downtown businesses?
A: In addition to clearly marking detour routes and scheduling construction to minimize the impact to traffic in and out of Downtown and the Westside, CDOT and the City are working closely with the Downtown Partnership and Experience Colorado Springs (the City’s convention and visitor bureau) to provide maps of detour routes, construction schedule and other information to those agencies stakeholders. Additionally, the project team meets one-on-one with business owners and managers who have specific questions or concerns.

Q: Why do the construction schedules for Bijou, Colorado and Cimarron bridges overlap?
A: The work at all three bridges is extremely complex and will take several months at each location. Construction at Bijou Street and the I-25 bridges over Colorado Avenue was already scheduled for 2007 in order to meet contractual completion dates. City engineers knew the Cimarron Street bridge needed to be replaced immediately, when deterioration of the existing bridge at Cimarron Street was discovered in summer 2006. Costly repairs would have only temporarily fixed the problem before the bridge’s scheduled replacement in 2009.

Q: What kind of public input went into the design of the bridges?
A: During the I-25 Environmental Assessment, the Bijou Street bridge was recognized as a gateway structure and received CDOT’s highest level of aesthetic treatment for a highway bridge. In November 2006, CDOT entered into a process with the Downtown Partnership, which represents Downtown stakeholders, the Colorado Springs Urban Renewal Authority, the City of Colorado Springs and El Paso County. The participants identified additional architectural and landscaping features that would further define the bridge as a landmark gateway to both Downtown and the Westside. When the need to replace the Cimarron Street bridge arose, the emergency nature of the project necessitated an expedited public process. At the request of key stakeholders such as the Downtown Partnership, the Bijou Street bridge aesthetics, which already had gained public acceptance, were applied to the Cimarron Street bridge.

Q: What are you doing to keep the Pikes Peak Greenway trail open?
A: Construction of the Bijou Street bridge and the I-25 interchange requires that the Pikes Peak Greenway, which runs under the bridge, be detoured. Rockrimmon Constructors coordinated the detour route with the Colorado Springs Department of Parks, Recreation and Cultural Services.

Q: How will visitors to Colorado Springs find their way into and around Downtown and the Westside?
A: The COSMIX project team has worked with Experience Colorado Springs (the City’s Convention and Visitor Bureau) to develop maps and other materials for distribution to visitors. Also, Experience Colorado Springs is using its own website, in addition to the project website, to communicate the best access routes into Downtown and the Westside.

Q: Will the Bijou Street bridge have bike lanes?
A: Yes, the new Bijou Street bridge will have bike lanes. In addition, sidewalks on both sides of the bridge will be built to comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act.

Q: How can pedestrians cross between the Westside and Downtown while the bridge is closed?
A: Rockrimmon Constructors is operating a free shuttle bus between the Westside and Downtown while the Bijou Street bridge is being rebuilt. The shuttle runs every 20 minutes from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. daily. Bus stops are at the corner of Cascade Avenue and Kiowa Street on the east side, and Spruce and Bijou streets on the west side of the interchange.

Q: What is being done to help businesses impacted by the bridge closure?
A: The project team is working closely with organizations such as the Downtown Partnership and Experience Colorado Springs (the City’s Visitor and Convention Bureau) to fine-tune signing and detour details to ensure drivers can find their way to local businesses. The project team is also providing impacted stakeholders with continuously updated information, either directly or through the Downtown Partnership and Experience Colorado Springs.

Q: Will traffic on I-25 be impacted by Bijou Street bridge construction?
A: Occasional lane closures will occur during non-peak hours, but Rockrimmon Constructors is required to keep two lanes of traffic in each direction of the interstate during prime driving hours (5:30 a.m. to 8:30 p.m. Monday through Friday). To enable this, temporary pavement was constructed to shift interstate traffic to the west, over what was the southbound on- and off-ramps to Bijou.