Construction begins on Arapahoe Road underpass for Lone Tree Creek Trail

A new concrete box culvert under Arapahoe Road is set to give Lone Tree Creek Trail users a safer way across one of Douglas County’s busiest corridors, replacing the need to cross traffic at the existing S. Revere Parkway crosswalk. The project is aimed at pedestrians, bicyclists and drivers who now have to navigate the stretch of E. Arapahoe Road between S. Revere Parkway and S. Potomac Street, where traffic volumes and turning movements have long made the crossing awkward and exposed.

The City of Centennial said construction began in mid-April 2026 at mile point 19.6 and is scheduled to finish in early spring 2027. When complete, the underpass will be a dedicated crossing for bicyclists and pedestrians, tying together the north and south sides of the Lone Tree Creek Trail without requiring trail users to mix with traffic at street level.

The $4.3 million project also includes concrete sidewalk and curb upgrades, drainage improvements, patching and striping on Arapahoe Road. Centennial and the Colorado Department of Transportation broke the work into three phases: Phase I from April to July 2026, Phase II from August to September 2026, and Phase III from October 2026 into early spring 2027. The city says three lanes will remain open in both directions during peak travel hours, but motorists should expect intermittent single- and double-lane closures, sidewalk detours and left-turn restrictions at the Arapahoe Road and Revere Parkway intersection.

Centennial officials had to push the project back after utility-location problems in the right-of-way complicated planning in 2024. A July 2025 delay letter said crews needed additional investigation to confirm the location of an ACWWA water line and Xcel Energy underground electric and gas lines. The same letter said right-of-way negotiations involved ITS Centennial LP and the Centennial Airport Center Association, which asked for the permanent easement to extend to the full limits of the proposed grading.

The underpass is identified in Denver Regional Council of Governments records as TIP ID 2022-057 and was awarded an Air Quality/Multimodal grant from DRCOG and CDOT. For Lone Tree Creek Trail users, the payoff is straightforward: a separated crossing under Arapahoe Road, fewer conflicts with turning vehicles, and a more direct route through a corridor that has been difficult to cross safely on foot or by bike.