May 26, 2026: Breaking ground on Happy Canyon — $7.93 million
Updated: Sep 25
The Happy Canyon Interchange
Voted to start building the Happy Canyon interchange — Approved Voted to award the first construction phase of the new diverging diamond interchange at I-25 and Happy Canyon to Kraemer North America, at a cost not to exceed $7,932,292.61 — the largest single construction contract the city has signed. This phase builds the new bridge to the north and the ramp tie-ins. The contractor was brought on early to sit at the design table and price decisions as they were made, which cuts both ways: it produces better decisions and it removes the check a competitive bid provides. The city's answer was to hire an independent cost estimator, who audited the contractor's costs three times; the final numbers landed within 0.78 percent of each other, against an industry tolerance of 10 percent. The project is built in partnership with Douglas County and the developers whose agreements fund part of it, and Castle Pines will own the finished bridge. The vote was unanimous.
Traffic & Pedestrian Safety
Asked whether the I-25 speeding crackdown actually held — and it hadn't — On the record In April the sheriff's office reported writing 652 tickets in three weeks on the I-25 stretch through Castle Pines, none under 90 miles per hour, and said speeds had dropped. Salazar asked the follow-up: did it last? The chief's answer was no. Deputies came off the highway for about a week and speeds climbed straight back to 90 and above, so the enforcement has to be continuous to hold. She then asked whether the speed limit through that section could be lowered to 70, and was told it is CDOT's decision, that the tradeoffs cut both ways, and that the real constraint is State Patrol staffing running about a third below where it needs to be. “Have you seen continued positive results from that? Is that helping reduce some of the speeds and the accidents?”
— Council Member Kori Salazar, May 26, 2026
Flagged that pedestrians trust the crosswalk button more than drivers deserve — On the record Raised a gap in how the city's flashing crosswalk beacons actually get used: a pedestrian presses the button and steps out assuming traffic has seen it and will stop, when drivers are distracted and often have not. She asked whether the city could put out education on it — that the button starts the lights, not a guarantee — before someone is hurt. The city manager agreed to push that message out. The city is separately upgrading beacon equipment and evaluating smart-walk technology, and is reviewing every crosswalk on the east side.
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About this record
Every entry comes from a public Castle Pines City Council meeting; video and official minutes are available through the city clerk’s office. Ordinances take two council votes — an entry marked first reading still needed a second, confirming vote before it became law. Resolutions, emergency ordinances and contract awards take a single vote. Matters still in process are described as such rather than claimed as outcomes. Dollar figures come from the staff memo or the record; none are estimated.
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