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COSMIX Progress from December 2005 back to before July 2005

December 2005
Although cooler temperatures in early December slowed down overnight construction, the COSMIX team worked diligently when temperatures were mild to make progress on the project. In the North Nevada/Rockrimmon segment, piers for the north- and southbound frontage road bridges over Monument Creek were constructed.

At the same time, all caissons were drilled for the north- and southbound frontage road bridges over Mark Dabling Boulevard and the railroad. In preparation for the southbound frontage road construction, traffic on I-25 was shifted to the inside from Cottonwood Creek south to Rockrimmon Boulevard.

Further south, additional paving was completed on the northbound on-ramp from Garden of the Gods Road as weather allowed, and crews completed the structural work for the I-25 bridges over Ellston Street and traffic was switched back to its original configuration.

November 2005
Mild temperatures in November allowed the COSMIX team to make progress in several segments of the project. In the Fillmore to Garden of the Gods segment, deck repair and rail replacement on the Ellston Street bridges was completed. In addition, the Holland Park noise barrier was completely prepped and stained, and topsoil placement along the wall was completed as well.

Moving further north, Rockrimmon Constructors completed the clearing and grubbing of trees and vegetation in the North Nevada/Rockrimmon segment and began drilling the caissons for the new collector-distributor roads and bridges parallel to I-25. Traffic on I-25 southbound also was moved to the inside shoulder, from Cottonwood Creek south to Rockrimmon Boulevard in preparation for the construction of the southbound collector-distributor road. Concrete paving operations north of Garden of the Gods continued as long as temperatures allowed. Improvements on the northbound on-ramp from Garden of the Gods Road moved forward as crews prepared to widen the ramp. On Mark Dabling Boulevard, utility relocation continued to relocate water and electrical lines.

Indoors at the project office, roadway design for the Woodmen to Academy segment is 84 percent complete and designers continue to work on the design of the Bijou bridge.

October 2005
The month of October brought more design and construction to all segments of the project. The COSMIX design team began roadway plans for the Woodmen to Academy segment of the project and construction in the Fillmore to Garden of the Gods segment began with work on the collector-distributor bridges across Monument Creek and Mark Dabling Boulevard. The reconstruction of the Ellston Street bridges continued, as traffic was switched to the southbound bridge while rehabilitation was done on the northbound bridge.

By the end of October, the northbound bridge was reopened to traffic and the southbound bridge was prepared for rehabilitation in November. The last caissons for the Holland Park noise wall were drilled on October 21 and the placement of the pre-cast panels was completed on October 27. By the end of October, the wall was up and prep work for staining began. Work to widen I-25 between Fillmore and Garden of the Gods continued, as the third lane was paved inside the medians north of Ellston Street.

In the largest segment of the project, North Nevada/Rockrimmon, clearing and grubbing began along Monument Creek in preparation for construction of the new collector-distributor roads and bridges. In addition, two temporary stream crossings were installed across Monument Creek to gain construction access for the work on the North Nevada/Rockrimmon interchange. The utility work on Mark Dabling Boulevard continued and Mark Dabling Boulevard was realigned to allow better clearance for utility work in the area.

September 2005
In September, roadway and structural design for the Bijou bridge was underway. Construction also took place in the median north of Garden of the Gods Road to Rockrimmon Boulevard to prepare for paving in that area. The Ellston Street bridge decks were formed and concrete was poured on September 7. In addition, construction on Mark Dabling Boulevard to relocate utilities continued throughout the month. On September 14, COSMIX began drilling caissons for the Holland Park noise barrier and by the end of the month, 87 of the 90 caissons were complete.

August 2005
By August, the crews were taking final steps to prepare for paving between Fillmore Street and Garden of the Gods Road. In addition, the construction segment was extended north to Rockrimmon Boulevard on August 15. Structural work on the Ellston Street bridges continued throughout the month, and soil from the median was placed as embankment on the slope below the Holland Park noise barrier. Farther north, crews began relocating utilities on Mark Dabling Boulevard in preparation for the reconstruction of the Rockrimmon interchange.

July 2005
On July 5, 2005, construction began with the re-striping of I-25 from Fillmore Street to just north of Garden of the Gods Road. To facilitate construction of the new lanes in this segment, traffic was shifted to the outside lanes of the interstate. On July 17 and 18, excavation activities at the Ellston Street bridges and the Holland Park noise barrier began. In addition, pothole patching and repair activities took place to increase safety on I-25 at the Bijou interchange, the North Nevada and Rockrimmon interchanges and between Woodmen Road and North Academy Boulevard.  

Progress before Construction Start
To many people, it may appear that the COSMIX project started in July 2005, when barriers were placed along Interstate 25 and heavy construction began. However, the project started long before that, when Colorado voters in 1999 approved the Transportation Revenue Anticipation Notes (TRANs Bonds) to accelerate critical transportation projects in Colorado. That same year, the Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT) began an Environmental Assessment (EA) to study possible solutions to easing congestion on Interstate 25 in Colorado Springs and Northern El Paso County. This extensive study found that widening I-25 through the urbanized area of the city was the best alternative. The EA was completed in May 2004 and was submitted to the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA). In September 2004, FHWA issued a Finding of No Significant Impact (FONSI) and CDOT was given the notice to proceed with work on I-25. In fall of 2004, CDOT started the process to select a qualified contractor to work on the project. In January 2005, the COSMIX project name was announced and Rockrimmon Constructors was awarded the contract to expand I-25 to three lanes through Colorado Springs. Over the next several months, CDOT and Rockrimmon Constructors worked together to prepare for construction activities. In May 2005, Rockrimmon Constructors held their first public open house for the project. On June 30, 2005, Governor Bill Owens and close to 200 hundred guests attended a groundbreaking ceremony to mark the start of construction on the COSMIX project.