Vail’s new roundabout starts work Monday

Work on Vail’s newest roundabout begins Monday. Town officials say traffic will keep flowing, most of the time.

The roundabout will put a four-lane road from the main Vail interchange all the way to the Lionshead parking structure. It will also change traffic patterns. Westbound traffic from the main Vail interchange will have to go through the roundabout to enter Vail Health Hospital, the Evergreen Lodge and the Four Seasons Hotel.

Similarly, traffic from the hospital or hotels and lodges on the south side of the frontage road will have to go through the main Vail roundabout to head back to the west.

Town Engineer Tom Kassmel recently told Vail Town Council members he expects two lanes of through traffic to stay open through almost all of the project. Traffic will narrow to just one lane at times, primarily for utility work.

The $6.5 million project is being funded in large part by an allocation from the Vail Reinvestment Authority. That authority — which is the Vail Town Council — uses money from property tax levied on new construction during the renovation of Lionshead. Vail Health and the Eagle River Water & Sanitation District are also financial partners in the project.

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Kassmel said the construction schedule is 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. six days a week. Kassmel said he doesn’t think work at night or on Sunday will be needed, although both may be needed on rare occasions.

“This will be an inconvenience occasionally, but having it done before next winter is huge,” Vail Mayor Dave Chapin said.