DENVER -- The first major closures associated with T-REX construction will take place at 10:30 p.m., Sunday, Oct. 14, officials announced.

The Downing Street and Emerson Street off-ramps from northbound Interstate-25 and the Washington Street on-ramp to northbound I-25 are scheduled to remain closed until sometime in 2005.

On Monday, Oct. 15, North Buchtel Boulevard will be reduced from the existing three lanes to one lane as crews begin utility, drainage and re-alignment work, T-REX officials said.

"The closure of the three I-25 ramps in T-REX North (I-25 from Broadway to Yale Avenue) will facilitate the construction work that will move the alignment of North Buchtel further north to accommodate the eventual excavation needed to expand I-25," said T-REX spokeswoman Karen Morales. "The strategic long-term closure of these ramps has been requested by the City and County of Denver to help minimize the potential for cut-through traffic in the surrounding neighborhoods and to reduce use of Buchtel during construction. The ramps also will be rebuilt during the closure."

Once the ramps are closed, motorists traveling northbound on I-25 will need to exit at either University Boulevard or Lincoln Street, or continue on to other downtown exits further north on I-25.

Residents and businesses in the area have been personally notified of the upcoming closures. Over the next several weeks, the T-REX public information team will be working closely with the surrounding community to prepare for these closures, by providing additional pre-construction notifications and business access maps, attending neighborhood meetings, and working with local business owners and residents to address their individual needs.

For additional information on upcoming construction activities, the public can access the most recent T-REX weekly construction report and the T-REX daily construction update on the Web at www.trexproject.com, under the "Construction Schedule and Information" section.

You can also call (303) 786-TREX for information 24 hours a day.