Douglas County to reconstruct Highlands Ranch Parkway through 2026

Douglas County is about to narrow one of Highlands Ranch’s busiest local corridors to one lane in each direction as it rebuilds Highlands Ranch Parkway between Broadway and Burntwood Way, a project officials say will run through September 2026.

Work is scheduled to begin June 8, and the county said drivers should expect slower trips, especially during the morning and evening commute. Access will stay open, but Phase 1 will shift westbound traffic into a single westbound lane in the eastbound direction of travel while crews remove and replace the existing westbound lanes from Burntwood Way to Broadway, along with curb, gutter and sidewalk on the north side of the road.

The county said the rebuild is needed because this stretch, originally built in the early 1980s, has reached the end of its useful life. Instead of continuing with short-term patching, Douglas County plans to replace aging pavement and upgrade the corridor with a new raised median, ADA-compliant curb ramps, a new traffic signal at Ridgeglen Way and replacement of the existing signal at Burntwood Way. Left-turn lanes will be added where warranted to help safety and keep traffic moving through the work zone.

Residents who use the corridor for school drop-offs, errands and neighborhood trips are likely to feel the disruption most. Douglas County said cyclists and pedestrians will still have access, and the bike lane will remain in the reconstructed roadway. RTD will coordinate any bus-stop relocations or schedule changes if they are needed.

The county said work hours are planned for Monday through Friday, 7 a.m. to 7 p.m., with Saturday work possible if approved. Drivers looking for alternate routes during peak periods may need to use Dad Clark Drive or East Wildcat Reserve Parkway to avoid backups near the Broadway and Burntwood Way end of the project.

Douglas County awarded the $6,579,818 job to Castle Rock Construction Company of Colorado, LLC, on May 12, and the project will be paid for with county maintenance funds. County materials say the timing also sets up a second, separate round of construction at Broadway and Highlands Ranch Parkway in 2027, when intersection improvements are expected to begin with $3.6 million in federal safety funding administered by CDOT.

County officials had already flagged the corridor for study in 2025, and they said the 2026 reconstruction was intended to be finished before the Broadway intersection project begins. Interim changes at that intersection already include upgraded signal heads, signal-timing adjustments, the removal of gore pavement markings to open a second westbound left-turn pocket and refreshed lane markings. In a community long built around a “pay its own way” infrastructure model, the rebuild marks another major investment in the roads, signals and drainage systems that shape daily life across Highlands Ranch.