COSTLY CONCERN
May 13, 2016 VO LUM E 1 5 | IS S U E 25 | FREE
A sharp rise in child care costs has impacted the finances of many families. PAGE 12
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Construction begins at Arapahoe and I-25 Crews start first phase for bridge reconstruction By Tom Skelley tskelley@coloradocommunitymedia.com
Construction crews begin work at the Arapahoe Road/I-25 interchange in Centennial on May 6. The crews will perform preliminary tasks such as re-striping lanes for a few weeks before the larger project of bridge reconstruction begins. Photo by Tom Skelley
Just as making omelets requires breaking eggs, relieving traffic congestion requires creating some gridlock. On May 9, construction crews began erecting concrete barriers, restriping traffic lanes and setting up temporary lighting near the Interstate 25/Arapahoe Road interchange as part of a long-term project to rebuild the intersection’s bridge.
For the next several months, various northbound and southbound lanes will be closed and some ramp closures will occur from 8 p.m. to 5:30 a.m., Sundays through Thursdays. Eastbound and westbound lanes on Arapahoe Road will also be closed occasionally between Syracuse Way/Spruce Street and Dayton Street from 7 p.m. to 5:30 a.m., Sundays through Thursdays. Bob Wilson, spokesman for the Colorado Department of Transportation, said the project will alleviate congestion at the busy interchange. “This will provide better traf-
fic flow and should be able to eliminate the backups that are notorious from Arapahoe Road onto the highway,” Wilson said. The $66 million project includes adding an additional lane on westbound Arapahoe Road from Yosemite Street to Greenwood Plaza Boulevard and creating three left turn lanes from the I-25 off-ramps. Other aspects of the plan are realigning the frontage road northeast of the interchange, building noise walls near the Arapahoe Road and Yosemite Street intersection and widening Yosemite Roads continues on Page 11
C-470 toll lane project coming soon Construction will be from I-25 to Wadsworth and is expected to take three years By Kyle Harding kharding@coloradocommunitymedia.com The Colorado Department of Transportation is hoping toll lanes will improve traffic on a 12.5-mile stretch of C-470 between I-25 and Wadsworth Boulevard after a three-year construction project set to begin this summer. “The traveling public has asked CDOT to relieve congestion within this critical corridor,” CDOT Project Director Jerome Estes said in a statement. More than 100,000 drivers travel through the segment every day, and CDOT projects volume to increase 40 percent in the next 20 years. Broomfield-based Flatiron Construction Corp. and Los Angeles-based AECOM were announced as the project’s contractors in April. C-470 continues on Page 11
TIME FOR STATE
One of more than 75 “death row” dogs from Texas and New Mexico lands at Centennial Airport on May 4 and will be placed at a nearby shelter. Photos by Alex DeWind
Plane brings pups a brighter future Dog is My Copilot flies more than 75 rescue dogs and cats to Centennial Airport By Alex DeWind adewind@coloradocommunitymedia.com
Cherry Creek senior Gloria Son prepares for this year’s Class 5A state tennis tournament. PAGE 18
Peter Rork, a retired pilot and orthopedic surgeon, pursued an interest in rescue animals after his wife died four years ago. “I lost my appetite for medicine,” he said, “and I had a plane at the time.” He now transports “death row” dogs and cats from unwanted areas by plane every couple of weeks. His flights became so crowded with animal crates that he invested in a larger aircraft. He recently had a record transport. “This is the biggest response we’ve had so far,” Rork said. “It’s the biggest dog flight we’ve flown into Denver.” Rork, of Jackson Hole, Wyoming, Dogs continues on Page 11
From left, Jess Pramov, Katy Cline and Hayden Cline of Paws on the Ground rescue wait for the “death row” dogs and cats to land by plane at Centennial Airport on May 4.