Lone Tree officials refer to the city as sitting at the corner of Main Street and Main Street — Interstate 25 and C-470, two of the Denver area's most congested highways. And traffic congestion within the city is the most common issue residents raise, they say.

The high traffic density is made up of more than just residents. People driving on either highway on their commute to or from work make up the bulk of traffic during weekdays. On weekends, the Park Meadows shopping center draws heavy congestion from Yosemite and County Line Road.

Led by Mayor Jackie Millet, a civil engineer by trade, the city over the past year has focused on battling those traffic issues: On Nov. 1, the city announced the completion of improvements to County Line Road, including the addition of a second westbound left-turn lane into the mall and another on-ramp lane to I-25. The Lone Tree Leaf Pedestrian Bridge that crosses Lincoln, between Yosemite and Park Meadows Drive, opened in June. And the inclusion of the Lone Tree Link shuttle service, which offers free on-demand transporation within the city, sent the message that Lone Tree's priority would be transportation.

In 2019, the city will finish drafting its first transportation master plan, a document to guide the city's infrastructure projects in the future.

Here are five major changes to expect in Lone Tree traffic in 2019:

Three new light rail stations

After much anticipation, three new light rail stations in south Lone Tree will open within the second quarter of 2019. The three stations — at Sky Ridge Medical Center, Lone Tree City Center and RidgeGate Parkway — are the latest additions to the Southeast Rail Extension project.

Four years and $233 million in the making, the 2.3-mile extension will serve the thriving RidgeGate neighborhood, home to Sky Ridge Medical Center, Charles Schwab and hundreds of new apartments, homes and condos. East RidgeGate, east of I-25, is beginning development. Lone Tree officials expect the area to be home to the city's downtown area.

The project was paid for by the Regional Transportation District, along with a grant from the Federal Transit Administration and local business associations.

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Link On-Demand in full swing

The Lone Tree Link On-Demand service will provide on-demand shuttle service to anywhere in Lone Tree. The service will replace the Lone Tree Link Circulator, which periodically looped from Lincoln Station, the light-rail station at Park Meadows Drive, to the RidgeGate neighborhood. Once the new light rail stations open in RidgeGate, the Circulator will no longer be needed.

The Link On-Demand completed a year-long pilot program in 2018. Users will be able to order a free ride from anywhere in the city using the Uber app. The bus will pick up others requesting a ride along the way. The shuttle will be paid for by the city in partnership with Uber.

The program was touted nationally for its innovative service.

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Express lanes open on C-470

Come summer of 2019, the Colorado Department of Transportation will finish construction on three additional express toll lanes on C-470 — one express lane from just west of the South Platte River to I-25 and two westbound from I-25 to Colorado Boulevard to Wadsworth Boulevard.

According to CDOT officials, the project will save drivers about 20 minutes of travel time during rush hour. Tolls will cost up to $6 to travel the entire express lane corridor during peak hours.

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RidgeGate Parkway widening project

The most expensive project of the city's 2019 budget, the RidgeGate Parkway widening project will begin construction in January. The $26 million project will be funded in partnership with Lone Tree, Douglas County, CDOT, the Southeast Public Improvement Metro District and the Rampart Range Metro District.

The project will expand RidgeGate Parkway from from two lanes, one in each direction, to four lanes and, eventually, six lanes to accommodate heavy traffic. RidgeGate Parkway runs east from Lone Tree into Parker, where it turns into the city's West Mainstreet.

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Adaptive traffic signals

The Intelligent Transportation System will be installed along Yosemite Street from Lincoln Avenue to Belleview Avenue to gather data and develop a description of the corridor based on traffic volume at certain points during the day. The project is a partnership among Lone Tree, Centennial and Greenwood Village.

After the data collection phase, officials can begin the adaptive systems phase to tweak and coordinate signals along the stretch of road. The system can be used across a grid, but for now the city is experimenting with its uses along Yosemite.

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