It’s a weekday morning and traffic appears a bit lighter than usual along a section of highway between Denver and Castle Rock.

But it's not Interstate 25. A $100 million infrastructure project has expanded a section of U.S. 85, or Santa Fe Drive, in northwest Douglas County through Highlands Ranch.

The largest transportation project in the county's history finished three months ahead of schedule, officials said.

Reconstruction expanded the number of lanes between Highlands Ranch Parkway and Dad Clark Gulch north of County Line Road – a corridor county officials dubbed as “one of the busiest and fastest-growing corridors in Douglas County.”

The stretch of road serves approximately 25,000 motorists a day between Denver and Castle Rock in central Douglas County, according to roadway studi

See Full Page