The E-470 Public Highway Authority is planning to spend $80 million to widen an eight-mile stretch of the private tollway in southeast Aurora beginning this spring.

The work will happen between Parker Road and Quincy Avenue, a highly congested area at peak traffic times. Aurora is also studying that corridor with plans to make improvements to the flow of traffic.

The highway authority will expand that stretch of E-470 from two lanes to three lanes in both directions. The work will begin at Parker Road heading north during the first phase of construction; not all eight miles will be under construction at the same time.

The work should be finished January 2018.

E-470 is not taxpayer-funded. It is financed, constructed, operated and governed by the E-470 Public Highway Authority.

The highway widening is planned to prepare for future traffic growth.

“We want to ensure capacity is sufficient to meet the rapidly growing traffic in this part of the highway,” said Jessica Carson, E-470 spokeswoman. “Traffic in this 8-mile stretch grew approximately 13 percent each year in 2013, 2014 and 2015.”

She said that E-470 commissioned a study in 2014 that indicated that the section between Parker and Quincy would need to be widened by 2018 in order to continue operating at the service level required.

Since 2008, traffic volumes on Parker Road have increased about 5 percent, while traffic volumes along Quincy east of Parker have increased more than 20 percent.

A recent traffic study by Aurora projects an increase of about 12,000 cars on Parker Road in the next 25 years.

As part of the project, the authority also plans to add a bike and pedestrian access trail on the west side of E-470, just outside the deer fence. They hope to create a connection to the existing Piney Creek Trail, but that is still to be determined with Aurora staff, Carson said.

Megan Mitchell: 303-954-2650, mmitchell@denverpost.com or @Mmitchelldp

Informational open house

When: 5 p.m. Feb. 24

Where: Heritage Eagle Bend Golf Club, 23155E. Heritage Parkway, Aurora.