No traffic impacts in June 2025
The City of Fort Collins began construction at the College Avenue and Trilby Road intersection Monday, June 2, 2025.
No road closures or detours will occur in June while crews focus on work along the road shoulders. Drivers, cyclists and pedestrians are asked to stay alert and use extra caution when traveling through the work zone.
Major impact: Trilby fully closed at College Avenue from until Spring 2026
Trilby Road will be fully closed to traffic at College Avenue (U.S. Highway 287) beginning Monday, July 7, 2025 and lasting until Spring 2026 while the City reconstructs and improves the intersection of College/U.S. Highway 287 and Trilby. Traffic traveling on Trilby between Shields Street and Lemay Avenue will have no access to College/U.S. Highway 287 during this closure.
- All traffic on Trilby needing to travel east/west across College/U.S. Highway 287 will be detoured to Harmony Road via Shields or Lemay
- All eastbound traffic on Trilby needing to travel north on College/U.S. Highway 287 will detour via Lemay and Harmony to reach College/U.S. Highway 287
- All eastbound traffic on Trilby needing to travel south on College/U.S. Highway 287 will detour via Lemay and Carpenter Road (State Highway 392) to reach U.S Highway 287
- All westbound traffic on Trilby needing to travel north on College/U.S. Highway 287 will detour via Shields and Harmony to reach College/U.S. Highway 287
- All westbound traffic on Trilby needing to travel south on College/U.S. Highway 287 will detour via Shields and West 57th Street in Loveland to reach U.S. Highway 287
A temporary traffic signal will be available at the intersection of Triangle Drive and U.S. Highway 287 to facilitate safe access between U.S. Highway 287 and the Ridgewood Hills neighborhood during this closure.
See detour images below.
Traffic needing to access destinations on Trilby between College and Shields to the west/College and Lemay to the east should use these detours during the closure of Trilby at College, until Spring 2026.
Traffic traveling southbound on College Avenue/U.S. Highway 287 needing to access businesses on the east side of College should use Skyway Drive and the business access road on the east side of College during the closure. Northbound traffic on College can continue to use turn-offs to the business access road to access these businesses.
Project summary#
The City of Fort Collins is starting a major reconstruction of the intersection at U.S. Highway 287 (College Avenue) and Trilby Road. This project follows several years of planning and initial work completed in 2024.
The rebuilt intersection will include:
- Two left-turn lanes from College Avenue onto Trilby Road
- Right-turn lanes in all directions
- A wider Trilby Road approach to College Avenue from both the east and west
These improvements will make the intersection safer and more efficient for drivers, pedestrians and cyclists as traffic in the area continues to grow.
A recent City study found several issues at this intersection, including:
- Frequent rear-end and turning crashes
- Heavy traffic on College Avenue and growing traffic on Trilby Road
- Left-turn lanes that are too short to handle current demand
- Safety and accessibility concerns for people walking and biking
This project also supports the City’s long-term plan to widen Trilby Road to four lanes between Shields Street and Timberline Road.
This image shows the design of the new College/Trilby intersection. Tap or click the image for a larger version.
Project timeline#
- First construction phase
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The first construction package was completed during summer 2024, installing a new retaining wall near the southwest corner of College Ave. and Trilby Ave. This phase had little to no traffic impacts.
- Final construction phase
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The second phase will install Stormsewer, waterline, and sanitary sewer, followed by the installation of concrete and asphalt and a new traffic signal. The work will be performed starting on the west half of the intersection (mid-May thru November 2025). The east side construction will begin in December 2025 and be compelted in May of 2026.
Project impacts#
We anticipate lane closures on U.S. Highway 287/College Avenue and Trilby Road, as well as a full closure of Trilby Road, as a part of this construction phase. Specific closures and impacts will be updated at the top of this webpage and on our Construction webpage during this project's work period.
Project funding#
This project is expected to cost between $12-14 million.
Funding will come from Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT) and Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) grants, the City's Transportation Capital Expansion Fee and contributions from developments.
Have questions or concerns?#
For general questions or concerns about the project, contact Mark Laken, Project Manager, at 970-222-3546 or mlaken@fcgov.com.
If you’re a business, contact Michael Bussman, Lead Business Specialist (Economic Health), at 970-416-2307 or mbussmann@fcgov.com.
November 14, 2023 Public Meeting#
The City and project partners hosted an open house style public information session about planned improvements to the College/Trilby intersection on Nov. 14, 2023. Here are the informational poster boards displayed at that meeting:
March 3, 2022 Public Meeting#
The City of Fort Collins and Wilson & Co. Engineers and Architects held a virtual neighborhood public meeting for this project on March 3. The presentation shown at the meeting and videos of the meeting are posted below.
To view the Powerpoint presentation, click the link below.
