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DIA Roadway Detours in Effect, Extra Time Advised

John Picken, Creative Commons

Passengers coming to and from DIA can expect to see a lot more orange in the coming year. This weekend the airport rolled out lots of traffic signs and cones, all of which create a detour for those driving to passenger pick up and drop off at the airport’s Western Terminal.

The reroute is happening as crews prepare for construction on a 500-room Westin hotel, commuter rail station and plaza. While the project won’t be complete until 2016, DIA Spokeswoman Laura Coale says this detour will be in place for about one year.

“You’re still going to be going to the same side and location, just the route is going to route you a bit differently to get you where you need to go,” she says.

DIA has run traffic simulations that show there should be little to no impact on travel times. However, Coale is still advising people to factor in 5-10 minutes of extra time, especially when traveling to the airport.

“Because this is different and new to drivers, we still encourage you to plan ahead and allow extra time to travel to the airport," she says.

DIA is expecting traffic to be similar—is not more—this year compared to last year’s record 52 million passengers, According to Coale, year-to-date traffic is up .2 percent compared to 2011.

Watch the Detours Near DIA

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FnmaBZJCgGM&list=UUwMQb8kRkL7CHJNNYPMo-kQ&index=0&feature=plcp