CDOT has Big Plans for Interstate 25

Whenever I'm headed down to Denver, or back up to Fort Collins, I always hold my breath and hope there won't be much traffic.  Most people I know feel the same way about the gateway to our state's capitol.  And the Colorado Department of Transportation sees the congestion around the I-25 corridor getting worse too.  So they're doing something about it.

The Coloradoan says CDOT has big plans for the 26 miles of I-25 between Highways 66 and 14.

The three-phase plan...will take 75 years to implement the improvements. The first phase, a 25-year project, will create multi-modal setup with tolled express lanes all the way to Colorado 14, an additional lane on the main interstate and a range of improvements with commuter rail and commuter bus options, as well.

[via The Coloradoan.]

Phase one will also set up more permanent solutions to the congestion at I-25 and Highway 34, seeing as what's been done there already is only temporary.

I feel like the extra lane alone would be a world of improvement.  One of the most anxious parts of that drive for me is when the three lanes further South merge down to two.  So frustrating!

Of course, this means we'll be dealing with tons of road work over the next several decades, which is almost worse than dealing with the traffic in the first place!

Do you think this 75-year road project will be worth it in the end?