Boulder To Begin Second, Southern Phase To Replace Aging 63rd Street Waterlines

The City of Boulder is wrapping up the first phase of a project to replace nearly 2 miles of waterlines, which supply drinking water to the community. The first phase along 63rd Street between CO 119 (also known as the Diagonal Highway) and Jay Road, will wrap up in fall of 2025. Construction will proceed south along 63rd/61st Street between Jay and Valmont roads during the second and final phase of work, beginning on July 14 and continuing through the spring of 2026.

The critical infrastructure project will replace aging waterlines beneath the street. The waterlines have reached the end of their functional lifespan, are difficult to maintain, and are vulnerable to breaks. Replacement before failure is essential to continue providing safe, clean and high-quality water to the Gunbarrel community.

While the city will minimize traffic impacts to the fullest extent possible, travelers can expect:

• Full closure of 63rd/61st Street between Jay and Valmont roads from July 14, 2025, through the spring of 2026.
• Continued access to 63rd Street north of Jay Road with vehicle lane detours as the first phase of construction wraps up through early fall this year.
• Local and business access along 63rd/61st Street will be maintained with limited roadway space throughout construction, though detours may change.

There may also be limited local impacts to water service for short periods of time during construction. The project team will work directly with affected community members in advance of local impacts.

Community members in the area may also experience nearby travel impacts from state and county transportation projects, unrelated to this city project. The city is working to coordinate traffic impacts and construction wherever possible with local and regional agencies, as well as affected residents and businesses.

“Funds and maintenance lifecycles affect the timing of major capital infrastructure projects, which often take years to complete and can overlap with other construction projects,” said Utilities Engineering Senior Manager Chris Douglass. “We know construction impacts can be frustrating, and we take project impacts seriously. Thank you for your patience while we work to protect water distribution resilience for our community.”

While impactful, the project timeline has been accelerated to reduce the duration of impacts by several months. View construction impact updates and suggested detours for driving, biking and walking on the city’s Cone Zones map. For more information, visit the project webpage.