I25 “GAP” CONSTRUCTION SET TO BEGIN IN SEPTEMBER
ROCK» Construction CASTLE of a $350 million improvement to Interstate 25 south of Castle Rock — a section of heavily traveled highway known as The Gap — will begin next month, according to state transportation officials.
The Colorado Department of Transportation this week named Kraemer North America as the general contractor for the 18-mile project between Castle Rock and Monument. Kraemer will work closely with CDOT on design, preconstruction and construction activities.
Work will begin in September at the northern end of the highway segment, with full construction ramping up along the entire stretch of highway by next summer. Completion of the project is expected in 2022.
The Gap project will add an express lane in each direction of I-25, which will cost vehicles with two or fewer occupants a toll to access. There still will be two free general purpose lanes running in each direction. CDOT touts the express lane as a critical choice for drivers who want to speed up their travels by using a tolled lane that will operate at a more reliable speed.
The work also will widen shoulders, repair or replace aging bridges, improve drainage, add new wildlife crossings, and modernize highway communication technology along the road.
Woman hit by vehicle dies of injuries at hospital.
AURORA» A pedestrian hit by a vehicle Tuesday died after she was taken to a hospital, police said. The woman was hit about 12:15 p.m. near the intersection of Peoria Street and East Sixth Avenue, police said.
Officers found the woman unconscious in the roadway. The driver that hit her remained at the scene and was cooperative with investigators, police said. The victim was crossing in the middle of the block, not in the crosswalk, when she was hit. An investigation is ongoing. The victim and driver were not identified by police.
Anyone who witnessed the incident is asked to call 303-739-6351.
Seven neglected horses seized; remains of three dogs found.
EL PASO COUNTY»
Seven neglected horses were seized Wednesday in El Paso County by authorities, and three carcasses of dogs were found at the same site.
Deputies with the rural enforcement and outreach unit executed a search warrant in the 7700 block of Stockholm Grove in an ongoing criminal investigation on neglected horses, according to a news release.
Deputies were assisted by the Humane Society of the Pikes Peak Region and Bureau of Animal Protection agents.
In addition to the horses, investigators seized the remains of three dogs. A suspect has been identified, and criminal charges are pending.
The horses were taken to a nearby boarding facility for medical treatment and care. Necropsies will be performed on the dogs to determine a cause of death.
Woman killed in dragging death is identified.
A woman who died Monday after she was dragged for several blocks under a trailer in Aurora has been identified by the Arapahoe County coroner’s office as Juliet Delores Powell, 47.
Henry Wardwell, 48, has been arrested on suspicion of vehicular homicide and leaving the scene of an accident in Powell’s death.
Police say she attempted to confront him about a prior accident involving a pickup pulling a camping trailer. Wardwell allegedly made a U-turn and ran over the woman, trapping her under the camping trailer, police said.
Wardwell is being held in the Arapahoe County jail on $50,000 bail.
Police said in a news release that “this very complex investigation” is in its early stages.
Rare early-morning tornado touches down.
COUNTY» An early-morning tornado that landed briefly in a field Wednesday and caused no damage or injuries was a rare event that happens about as often as the Olympic games, according to a meteorologist.
“To have a tornadic thunderstorm this early in the day is on the rare side. It happens about once every three to five years,” said Kyle Fredin, spokesman for the National Weather Service.
What’s more common on the Eastern Plains are nocturnal thunderstorms and tornadoes, he said.
The relatively weak tornado — more like a “land spout” — touched down about 5 miles northwest of Keota for about 30 to 60 seconds at 6:37 a.m., Fredin said. A certified weather spotter witnessed the tornado and called it in to the weather service, Fredin said.
The thunderstorm weakened and dropped rain on the Eastern Plains as it swept through Weld County, he said.