Council approves contract with Kramer North America for Happy Canyon diverging-diamond interchange phase 1

The Castle Pines City Council on May 26 voted to approve a construction contract with Kramer North America LLC for Phase 1 of the Happy Canyon diverging-diamond interchange (DDI).

Chief engineer Doble Grubbin presented the item as a phase-1 contract that allows Kramer to sign subcontracts and ready the work so the city can proceed quickly if and when CDOT approvals are received. He described the procurement as a construction manager/general contractor (CMGC) approach and said the city mitigates potential cost-design risks by hiring an independent cost estimator (ICE). "The number that we're sharing tonight is the authorized ICE says... we're within 1% of the contractor's pricing based on the ICE," Grubbin said.

Grubbin emphasized this resolution authorizes the city's construction contract (phase 1) and does not itself authorize CDOT approvals. He said the transportation-commission step is scheduled for mid-June and the city hopes to begin ground work in mid-July if CDOT and subsequent approvals proceed as anticipated.

Motion and vote: A council member moved to adopt the resolution (as read on the record); a second was recorded. The roll-call vote, as read in the transcript, recorded all members voting in the affirmative and the motion passed.

Why it matters: The DDI project is a major transportation investment affecting regional traffic flow and local maintenance responsibilities. Phase 1 establishes contractual footing for the bridge-building element and enables the contractor to execute procurement and subcontracting steps ahead of later CDOT authorizations.

What comes next: Staff will pursue CDOT approvals at the Transportation Commission hearing in June and return on later packages (Grubbin said a package 2 is expected this fall to cover remaining work).