Beginning Monday, the Colorado Department of Transportation will install fiber optic cable from I-25 to Lyons, then to Colorado Highway 66, and approximately 35 traffic cameras on US Highway 36 from Lyons to Estes Park.
The $5.89 million construction project is expected to be completed before the end of this year, and the traffic cameras will be operational in 2026. Construction and installation work will occur on weekdays from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.
According to Jared Fiel, the Northeast Colorado Regional Communications Manager for the Colorado Department of Transportation, the cameras are not speed cameras used for enforcement, but traffic cameras used to monitor road conditions and help first responders identify the location of accidents. Fiel said the cameras that will be installed along US 36 will not record data or track vehicles.
CDOT is currently piloting enforcement cameras on Highway 119 between Longmont and Boulder, Fiel said. The stretch of highway, also known as the Diagonal Highway, is a regional corridor connecting the two communities.
The fiber optic cable will extend internet access to communities and help manage traffic equipment for the traffic cameras on US 36.
The installation of the fiber optic cable will cause shoulder closures, and then crews will begin work on installing the traffic cameras.
Because CDOT cameras are monitored 24 hours a day, the traffic cameras are supposed to help first responders get to the scene of accidents quickly. They also help road crews and the public to assess road conditions along the US36 canyon corridor, which has experienced floods, fires, strong winds, and heavy snow.
The public can view the live camera feeds on the CDOT website or app.