By Lisa Crockett

Plans are underway to connect Hess Road, an east-west roadway in Parker, to the Castle Pines Parkway Exit 188 at I-25.

Currently, Hess Road ends at Chambers Road in Parker. Douglas County had initially planned to connect Stroh Road at the Castle Pines Parkway exit, but that plan was scrapped when it was determined the roadway would come too close to the new Rueter-Hess Reservoir.

The Castle Pines Parkway interstate access ramps were upgraded to handle the additional load of the Stroh Road connection and the eventual construction of Canyons Parkway, which will run south from the off-ramp. No additional changes have been determined to be needed for the Hess Road project.

Also in the works are the eventual closure of the Surrey Ridge off-ramp, and the construction of a new Ridgegate off-ramp on I-25, just to the north of Surrey Ridge.

The project is now in various phases of planning from involved county, state, and federal agencies. According to the Douglas County Public Works Department, actual construction of the road is not likely to begin for quite some time, perhaps in 2008.

Castle Pines North could see a significant increase in traffic at the I-25 intersection upon the completion of Hess Road.

For more information on this project, visit www.douglas.co.us, go to “Quick Links” and click on “Road Projects.” Then, click on “Existing and Proposed Roadway Network for North-Central Douglas County.”