Santa Fe and Mineral Improvements

The Santa Fe and Mineral Improvements Project is making progress, and traffic shifts are coming to accommodate further work.

Starting in late April and lasting until further notice, both directions of traffic on Mineral Avenue from just west of the Santa Fe Drive intersection to west of Platte River Parkway will be shifted to the north side of the roadway into two-way, single lane alignment.

To accommodate this reduced alignment and keep east-west traffic flowing, the traffic signals at the Platte River Parkway and Mineral Avenue intersection will be removed, with north-south access limited to right turn lanes only to and from westbound Mineral Avenue. Detour routes will be posted to access eastbound Mineral Avenue via Aspen Grove and Santa Fe Drive.

This temporary traffic pattern will remain in place until further notice while crews widen the south portion of the roadway and make traffic signal and pedestrian improvements. If possible, alternative routes that avoid the project area are highly encouraged during this temporary traffic pattern. The public’s patience is appreciated as another important phase of the project nears.

Keep track of road closures and traffic impacts throughout the city at LittletonCO.gov/ConeZone.

Progress is being made on the Santa Fe and Mineral Improvements Project as construction continues on the Denver metro area’s first quadrant road interchange.

A concrete box culvert on the south side of Mineral Avenue at Platte River Parkway has been installed, and grading, soil preparation, and storm sewer installation for the quadrant road are ongoing. A major traffic shift on to accommodate ongoing construction will be implemented in late February.

Littleton leaders and regional partners broke ground on the Santa Fe and Mineral Improvements Project November 19, kicking off the project to build an innovative “quad road” at the congested intersection.

Following years of public outreach, planning, and design, the intersection of South Santa Fe Drive and West Mineral Avenue will see major improvements aimed at reducing traffic delays and improving safety.

With as many as 60,000 vehicles per day on Santa Fe and 30,000 on Mineral, drivers can currently experience delays of up to 20 minutes during peak times. If the intersection were to remain in the current configuration, delays would become significantly worse given traffic volumes are projected to grow to 115,000 vehicles per day through the intersection by 2040 due to anticipated future development in the region.

To address these issues, the city is constructing a new “quadrant roadway” in the southwest corner of the intersection. This innovative design will remove left turn movements from the intersection and reroute left-turning traffic onto a separate roadway, freeing up green-light time for through movements and improving overall flow.

Construction will begin this fall on the Santa Fe and Mineral Improvements Project, a long-planned upgrade to the most congested intersection in Littleton.

The intersection of Santa Fe Drive and Mineral Avenue will soon see major improvements aimed at reducing traffic delays and improving safety. With as many as 60,000 vehicles per day on Santa Fe and 30,000 on Mineral, drivers can currently experience delays of up to 20 minutes during peak times.

To address these issues, the city is constructing a new quadrant roadway in the southwest corner of the intersection. This innovative design will reroute left-turning traffic onto a separate roadway, freeing up green-light time for through movements and improving overall flow.

The project includes new traffic signals, lane configurations, and timing adjustments, along with other mobility and safety upgrades in the surrounding area.

Construction is expected to begin this fall and will take approximately two years, with completion anticipated in fall 2027. Work is scheduled to start on land southwest of the intersection. Traffic impacts will be posted to the Cone Zone page at LittletonCO.gov/ConeZone.

The City of Littleton is hosting a self-guided online meeting for residents to learn more about transportation improvements in the Santa Fe Drive and Mineral Avenue area, including Littleton's Santa Fe and Mineral Improvements Project, Mineral Mobility Improvements (East and West), and Douglas County's US-85 Improvements Project.

This area of Littleton is undergoing transportation improvements to enhance safety for motorists, pedestrians, and bicyclists, to reduce traffic congestion, and to provide more convenient and comfortable connections. These planned changes will also enhance many local and regional destinations, including RTD's Mineral Light Rail Station and local businesses.

Visit the self-guided online meeting to learn more, submit comments or questions, and sign up for each project distribution list to be notified of project updates. The online meeting will be available through Friday, July 28.