Construction Begins this Summer on Pedestrian Underpass; New Dates for College Avenue Closure are June 16-19

Construction is coming up this summer on a $700,000 pedestrian tunnel under College Avenue north of Lake Street that will link Colorado State University’s main campus and old Fort Collins High School.

College Avenue will close from 9 p.m. June 16 to 5 a.m. June 19. Traffic will be rerouted to Remington Street during that time. The closure originally was planned for June 9-12.

Single-lane closures will take place before and after the full closure of College Avenue for preparation and completion of the project.

The 126-foot-long underpass, scheduled for completion in mid-August, will cross under College Avenue near where the existing Transfort bus stop is located on the west side, said Greg Smith, project manager for Colorado State’s Facilities Management. The east side of the tunnel will open onto a sidewalk that leads to the main entrance of the high school.

The tunnel will include lighting and video monitors to ensure pedestrian safety, said Donn Hopkins, chief of Colorado State’s Police Department. In addition, two call boxes will be installed at either end of the tunnel. A security station also may be added to the project in the future.

Project planning has benefited from the support and assistance of the Colorado Department of Transportation and the city of Fort Collins. MBI Corp. of Fort Collins is the contractor.

Call Facilities Management at 491-0077 or University Parking Services at 491-7041 for more information.