The signals at the E-470 ramps on South Gartrell Road look a little improvised, and they are. They went up in January 2024 as temporary equipment so drivers coming off the tollway could make left turns more safely. The E-470 Public Highway Authority paid about $1.2 million for them. They were a stopgap, and the orange barrels that went up this spring are the permanent fix.
Since May 11, traffic on South Gartrell Road between East Dry Creek Road and South Aurora Parkway has been moved to the south side of the bridge. Lanes are narrower, and the shoulders are closed in both directions. Most news coverage summed it up in one line: a $10.8 million project to widen a two-lane bridge to four lanes. The contract documents add a lot more detail. Most of the work is at the edges of the bridge: the ramp intersections where traffic turns, and the path along each side for people walking or biking.
The temporary signals were the first clue
The City of Aurora started collecting data on traffic volumes, the bridge structure and the existing right-of-way in early 2022. Muller Engineering worked with the city on the preliminary plans. From the start, the city's stated goals went beyond more travel lanes. Its project FAQ listed traffic signals "to facilitate turning movements," ramps realigned to match the wider bridge and the new signalized intersections, and bike and pedestrian paths on both sides of the bridge.
Design and funding took years. The temporary ramp signals went in two years before construction started. On its project page, the city now says design is complete, construction funding is secured, and work would begin in early May 2026. The construction scope includes "signal upgrades at the ramp intersections." The equipment drivers have been stopping at since 2024 is the equipment this project replaces.
When the city announced the project, it gave this reason:
"As traffic volumes through the Gartrell Road and E-470 interchange have increased through the years, so has the need for capacity improvements. This project will improve mobility for all types of travelers through this interchange."
"All types of travelers" is a literal description of the plans.
What the contract actually covers
The City of Aurora published the formal bid, Gartrell Bridge Widening, on November 26, 2025. Its description of the work is more specific than any of the news coverage:
| Element | Before construction | What the contract covers |
|---|---|---|
| Travel lanes on the bridge | Two lanes | A four-lane section with added turn lanes |
| Ramp intersections | Temporary signals, operating since January 2024 | Signal upgrades at the ramp intersections |
| Bridge structure | Existing span over E-470 | Asymmetrical widening, with an expanded retaining wall on one side |
| Approaches | Existing roadway | Roadway widened where it ties into the new bridge |
| Walking and biking | No dedicated multi-use path documented in project materials | Multimodal improvements across the bridge, trail connectors, sidewalk improvements |
| Stormwater | Existing drainage | Drainage and water-quality improvements |
"Asymmetrical" means the bridge is not getting the same amount of new width on each side. It grows more on one side, and that is the side where the contract calls for a larger mechanically stabilized earth wall, the engineered retaining wall that holds up the fill at the bridge approach. The traffic plan announced in the spring did not close the bridge. Starting May 11, it moved Gartrell traffic to the south side of the bridge in narrowed lanes.
Taken together, the turn lanes and the upgraded ramp signals are aimed at the same problem the 2024 signals were installed to manage, which is getting traffic on and off E-470 at Gartrell. The extra through lanes add capacity across the bridge, and the turn lanes and signals handle the ramps.
Who is paying for it
This is not mainly a tollway project, even though it sits over the tollway. The South Aurora Regional Improvement Authority, known as SARIA, is paying 80% of construction costs, and the E-470 Authority is paying the other 20%. The city's project page calls it a SARIA project, developed by Aurora with the E-470 Public Highway Authority and SARIA as partners.
That split shows who has driven the project from the start. Aurora treats Gartrell Road as a key part of its southeast transportation network. Its project page calls the road "a critical transportation corridor" and the main access point to E-470 for southeast Aurora. E-470 paid for the temporary ramp signals in 2024 and is paying a minority share now. The regional improvement authority is paying for most of the permanent fix.
Built for people outside cars, too
Bike and pedestrian paths were in the plan before the final design existed. The preliminary layout on Engage Aurora shows a 12-foot multi-use path on the bridge, next to the E-470 eastbound on-ramp. That layout carries a warning that still matters. It was drawn to show the "ultimate lane configurations and general dimensions," and final pedestrian crossings and alignments were left for later design work. The exact path alignment you see when the project is finished may differ from that early drawing. The commitment to paths on both sides of the bridge is in the FAQ, and the bid includes "trail connectors and sidewalk improvements."
There is already a trail near this interchange. E-470's 2025 master plan says the Authority plans, designs and builds the High Plains Trail along the tollway where it can, in coordination with local trail plans. An earlier E-470 fact sheet described a multi-use path on the west side of the tollway, running from Quincy Avenue to southwest of Ireland Way. It was planned as a 10-foot concrete path with two-foot shoulders. It crosses South Gartrell Road at street level, and it has grade-separated crossings at Arapahoe Road and Piney Creek.
None of the project documents say the new bridge paths will connect to that trail or to any other named trail or park, so this post does not claim they will. What the documents do show is that the trail along the tollway and the new bridge paths will run past the same interchange.
Where the calendar stands in October
The project's history, in order:
- Early 2022: Aurora begins collecting traffic, structural and right-of-way data for the design.
- January 2024: Temporary signals start operating at the E-470 ramp intersections, paid for by the E-470 Authority at about $1.2 million.
- November 26, 2025: The city publishes the construction bid.
- April 2026: The city announces that design is complete, construction is funded, and work starts in early May.
- May 11, 2026: Traffic shifts to the south side of the bridge, with narrowed lanes and both shoulders closed.
- May 14, 2026: Chick-fil-A Gartrell Rd. & Hwy 470 opens at 7495 S. Gartrell Road, three days into the lane shift. It is a drive-thru-focused location with a walk-up carryout window, open Monday through Saturday.
- September 28, 2026: E-470 updates its roadway projects page. It lists the Gartrell expansion as underway and describes it as adding "capacity and multimodal features."
The city announced the job as about a year of construction starting in May. If that estimate holds, the work would finish around spring 2027. That date is our projection from a preconstruction estimate, not a published finish date. No public update since May has given a revised completion date or said whether traffic has moved off the south-side configuration. The September E-470 page confirms only that work is still underway. The city has said it will post construction and traffic updates at AuroraGov.org/Gartrell. That page is the best place to check before a lane shift catches you off guard.
Until then, the city's request is simple: slow down and use caution in the work zone between East Dry Creek Road and South Aurora Parkway.
Projects like the Gartrell interchange change how a neighborhood connects to everything around it. Andrew Borremans and Alana Borremans keep track of them for clients in Tallyn's Reach and across southeast Aurora. If you're wondering how changes along the Gartrell corridor relate to what your home is worth today, Borremans Properties can give you a clear, local answer. Get a Free Home Valuation.
