Why Castle Pines Parkway Went From Concrete to Asphalt, and Where the Road Crews Go Next

On the stretch of Castle Pines Parkway between Forest Park Drive and the Buffalo Trail roundabout, the city's plan calls for crews to remove the eastbound concrete driving and bike lanes. Only the curb, gutter and median will be left until new asphalt goes down. That was not the plan in June. When the project began on June 1, that section was supposed to get diamond grinding, which smooths the existing concrete and keeps it in place.

This fall's detour makes more sense with the full plan in view. The Parkway reconstruction is one phase of the city's Road Solutions plan, which is now in its late stages. If the City Manager's proposed 2027 budget is adopted, the last phases would be funded over the next two years, and the plan would close out in 2028. The November paving won't be the last time crews work on the Parkway. It is one of the last scheduled stops on a corridor the city has been rebuilding piece by piece since 2021.

The concrete that couldn't be ground smooth

The original 2026 scope was a full reconstruction of the westbound lanes between Monarch Boulevard and Forest Park Drive. The Castle Pines North Metropolitan District was using the same open trench to replace the waterline under the road and the water infrastructure tied to it. Farther west, between Forest Park Drive and Buffalo Trail, grinding was meant to be enough.

It wasn't. According to the city's project page, the concrete on that stretch turned out to be far more damaged than expected. At its July 14 meeting, City Council approved removing the concrete and replacing it with asphalt in both directions. That decision added a second direction of travel to this year's work. It also explains why the project page has two timelines. One line still says "early fall," and the newer status updates say November.

One part did finish early on purpose. Crews completed the westbound section from Monarch Boulevard to Deer Clover Drive, including the stretch in front of Timber Trail Elementary, and reopened it on August 11 to reduce the impact on school traffic.

The order the rest of 2026 is supposed to happen in

The remaining work happens in a set order, and each step depends on the one before it. Here is the sequence as of the city's October 5 update and the status DougCo Social reported as of October 7:

1. Waterline first. The primary waterline improvements were done, and testing was scheduled to begin the week of October 5. As of October 7, DougCo Social reported the waterline installed and in testing.
2. Westbound asphalt next. Once the new line is tested and tied in, crews pave westbound from Deer Clover Drive to just east of the Buffalo Trail roundabout. The city expected that paving to start in late October.
3. Traffic shifts onto the new pavement. When the westbound lanes from Forest Park Drive to near the roundabout are paved, traffic moves onto them. Crews then remove the eastbound concrete lanes.
4. Eastbound paving last. The final eastbound paving between Forest Park Drive and the roundabout is expected in early to mid-November.

Landscape restoration is happening alongside the other work. The city adds that all of this timing depends on the weather. Late October and November paving dates are forecasts, and a cold snap in Douglas County can move them. You can send questions to the city at [email protected] or call 303-705-0200.

Six years on the same few corridors

This year's work stands out less once you see how much of the plan is already done. The city's Road Solutions page lists the completed phases, and the proposed 2027 budget names what is left.

The 2027 list is about as important to Parkway drivers as this November's paving. Two of the three proposed phases are on Castle Pines Parkway again. One runs from Forest Park Drive to Pine Ridge Trail and includes the Buffalo Trail roundabout, right at the western end of this year's work. The other runs from Village Square Drive to Beverly Boulevard. Together, the three proposed phases add up to $7.4 million.

The budget also sets these phases against the plan's original estimate. In 2021, the full plan was estimated at $39 million over 13 years. With the final phase expected in 2028, the budget puts the total at $34 million and says the plan will finish five years sooner than first estimated. These are proposed figures from a budget dated September 30, 2026, and City Council has not adopted them yet.

Two pots of money for two kinds of road

The Parkway work and the city's biggest road project are paid for in different ways.

Road Solutions runs on local money. The city says it first looked for roadway funding partnerships that would not require new taxes. In November 2023, Castle Pines voters then approved a dedicated 1% sales and use tax that can only be spent on the city's roadway system. The proposed 2027 budget lists three sources for the Roads Fund: that tax, intergovernmental revenue and Douglas County shareback. It projects $5.6 million in Roads Fund revenue for 2027, with $2.7 million moved to the Capital Improvements Fund for roadway projects.

The Happy Canyon/I-25 Interchange is a regional project, and it is the largest item in the city's road spending. The budget describes it as an expanded and reconfigured intersection of an aged bridge. The proposed 2027 budget raises its budgeted amount by $11 million, with another $16 million planned for 2028, for a total construction budget of $39 million. Funding is planned to come from Douglas County, the Colorado Department of Transportation, and the North Canyons and Castle Pines Town Center developments.

Put the two programs together and the scale is clear. The 2026 budget set aside $16 million for roadway capital improvements, the most the city had ever budgeted for transportation in a single year. The proposed 2027 budget adds another $22 million. The local sales tax is rebuilding the streets people drive every day inside the city. The regional partners and the two developments are paying for the interchange that brings new traffic into it.

Where the Parkway shows up on the holiday calendar

The city's own events sit on the same corridor. The Fall Festival, Trick-or-Treat Street and Pumpkin Race took place on October 24 at the Village Square Shopping Area, 7437 Village Square Drive. Village Square Drive is where the first Parkway phase ended in 2022 and where one of the proposed 2027 phases begins.

The next big event is also on the Parkway. The city's Tree Lighting is set for Friday, December 4, from 5 to 7 p.m. at The Ridge Golf Course, 1414 Castle Pines Parkway. The tree is scheduled to light at about 6:45 p.m., followed by a drone show if weather and conditions permit. VIP tickets go on sale Friday, November 13, at 8 a.m., at $65 for adults and $35 for children. If the city's November forecast holds, the eastbound lanes between Forest Park Drive and Buffalo Trail will be paved a few weeks before people drive to The Ridge for the lighting.

We follow road work like this closely in Castle Pines. If you're weighing a sale and wondering whether the 2027 phases near your street affect your timing, the team at Western Mountain Real Estate can review the city's schedule with you and help you price with the full picture. List With Confidence. Sell With Satisfaction.