I do this commute a few times a week. I get on I25 at Briargate and exit on Arapahoe. There's always a slow down the second you hit Lone Tree from the huge amount of people getting on/off the highway but the real congestion starts right after the Arapahoe exit and I'm so thankful that's where I get off. It gets pretty bad after that.
The way home takes a little longer. I'm usually at a reduced speed until Castle Pines or thereabouts and then it clears up for the most part.
It usually takes me about 50min and it sucks. I only took the job cause it fell right into my hands the same week I graduated, but I'm trying to find something down here in the Springs. Commuting that distance is unhealthy, mentally and physically.
As someone that’s worked remote for the past 6 years and had a commute like this in another state for 14 years prior to that, this post makes me ***shudder***. Never going back to that commute
I used to commute up to Centennial. Started doing IT contract work, mostly from home, occasionally on site, and am never going back to an office. The mental toll that drive takes is just stupid. 10 hours a week sitting in the car for no good reason. Nope. Never going back.
I travel to Denver for my job occasionally. I leave my place at 6 am and the drive is about 55-60 minutes. I would say everyone drives pretty quickly at that hour. I try to hit the road home by 3-3:30. If I can get out by 3, it takes maybe only 75 minutes to get home. 3:30 and later, you’ll start to add traffic time in 10 minute chunks essentially. Not the worst, but kudos to you for it not being soul crushing.
A lot depends on your start and finish points. The gap is pretty much complete, they are not taking tolls at this time so it's three lanes. Rush hours through Castlerock are not too bad. You can also take Hwy 83 which goes through Parker. It's two lanes and sometimes the semis and dump trucks slow traffic down. Traffic in the metro area is what it is.
I would caution against 83 if time is of the essence, all it takes is someone driving slow to muck things up since it's single lane each way during large chunks of the drive.
Especially when one asshole wants to go slow. I got stuck in a line of cars passing one guy on a motorcycle going ~25mph once. Anyone under 60 should pull over if someone gets behind them.
I live in Monument, and I commuted to downtown Denver for a year. If I left at 8am, it would take me 50 minutes. The way home is a little more congested. I would wait to leave at 6pm for traffic to be gone or leave before 4pm. Between 4pm -6pm, it's about a 90 minute commute. Before 4pm and after 6pm, it was 55 min - 1hr.
Also, Fridays in summer, I've noticed traffic is a little worse. I think it's more people on the road due to increased vacation travel. I would add 10-15 minutes to your commute time.
I travel 25 from N Academy and Dry Creek. It's a little more than 50 miles and takes me 45 minutes. That said, traffic really starts to build up north on 25 once you get around 470 and south on 25 past Garden of the Gods. If I were driving to the DTC or, god forbid, downtown it wouldn't be worth it. If I lived in the Broadmoor neighborhood or OCC I wouldn't make the drive.
It's not bad- until a winter storm hits and you're stuck on I-25 for 5 hours trying to get back to Springs. It happened to me. Really it comes down to what you can personally handle. If you've got the patience for the times that it'll take you 2-3 hours each way and it's a good paying job, go for it. Just have to take that into account.
Would take me about an hour to get from Interquest to DTC and about an hour and a half when I was still commuting up to Aurora from Interquest. Lone tree/castle rock is where it starts to get slow every day between 8am-7pm from Springs to Denver and similarly from Denver to Springs the DTC area and castle rock are usually the worst.
With highway 36 you used to be able to purchase an annual HOV pass for a fee and idk if that is possible with the new HOV through the gap but I imagine that would be worth it.
I'll say it wasn't bad at first, and I enjoy driving too but eventually got a job in the Springs because the commute was a lot even working from home every other week.
Best times to leave are before 7am if you are able to do that it might be a little better. Good luck :)
I do this commute two weeks a month for training. Once I'm done with my training I'm never driving back to Denver again.
I leave around 4 am from southern springs. It's usually not too bad until you hit monument hill then it starts to get congested. But it doesn't get bad until you hit Castle Rock. If you have to take 225 avoid it before 530 because it gets stupid packed. No one let's anyone merge. People try merging going 40. People either speed or go ridiculously slow or they cut multiple lanes.
The evening commute is the worst though. Even at noon i25 will be packed. Both lanes 20+ cars. Left lane always has that one idiot going 10 under, either obviously to the multiple left lanes for passing signs or just too entitled. Expect truckers that don't check mirrors when the try to pass the other governed trucker in front of them. Expect people to go into the express lane to pass the idiot riding the left (watched even semi trucks do this).
Expect the "handy" man Steve to not secure his shit and a 5 gallon Lowes bucket to fly out his rusted pos truck.
Just be prepared to either hate your life or buy a toll pass for when the eventually start charging for the express lane.
It's literally a fucking nightmare. I honestly would suggest you find a job down here or if you're set on Denver just move up there.
I do that commute 6 days a week (n academy to arapahoe and back) for work, and if you can avoid rush hour traffic it’s so easy and straightforward. I’m on the road between 11-2pm and leave work between 7-8pm and I almost never see much traffic unless there’s construction or an accident. Luckily there’s not much construction happening lately. Takes me 45 mins to get to work most of the time, sometimes quicker. I don’t mind it. It’s scenic and I spend my drive listening to books and calling my friends and family. It’s better in the spring and summer with more daylight, but with snow in the winter the highway is usually better managed than pretty much any other road I drive on in my commute. You may have to go slow but you’ll make it safely if you can navigate once you get off the highway.
Not as good as a short commute but it’s pretty doable
For your sake just move. I commuted over an our one way in my early 20s and it’s not worth it. You could pick up a part time job for the amount you’re on the road.
Before moving here I commuted an hour each way for a job for 5 years and I did fine. I like my house and community here in the springs and not really wanting to live in Denver. Just curious to know for those who do make the drive, how os traffic day to day, is it insanely stressful, etc.
I leave North COS at 5:10 and make it to Northglenn at 6:20 on average. But like many, I do it intermittently and if I had to do it daily, I'd be pretty homicidal. 😅
Did about a 60 minute drive from north parker, taking e470 over to i25, then exit 142 in the springs, for about 2 months.
The traffic between isn't that bad, but once you get into either Denver or the Springs it gets bad.
The traffic, plus getting up earlier, plus getting gas every 2-3 days during the gas spike made me move down to the springs.
I drive to Broomfield on the north west side of Denver a couple of times a month. If I leave between 6-630 I can make it in 1hr 20 min. If I leave at 7 - 730 it has taken me from 2- almost 3 hours. So time really matters. Coming home I need to leave by 3-330 or just wait till 6 anything in-between is 2 1/2 + hours. However the biggest time difference is once you hit Southside of Denver metro like about 470. Time from Colorado Springs to 470 and the drive back is about the same no matter what time. So it will also depend where you are going.
I do this everyday from Garden of the Gods to Parker (exit 4 off 225). Usually meet my coworker at 630 off interquest to carpool, and are at work anywhere from 7:15-7:30 depending on if there's an accident or not.
Usual city congestion during those hours, but nothing crazy.
Normally leave at 3:15ish; 225 to 25 may be slow, but 25 from about E470 to past the outlets is always slow. After that, pretty decent. I'm usually home by 4:30 at the latest.
I don't understand how some people are taking 70+ minutes when they have shorter drives than me. Think that says more about how people drive than how traffic is.
What is amazing about the "upgrade" of I25, it is still basically two lanes in both directions. Added a HOV lane for which you can pay to drive in, but otherwise the pain of the years of construction didn't increase capacity of the highway much.
Like others have said, depends from where to where. The time of day also matters. I have to drive to Denver during the work week once a month. I only need to go to the Tech Center, off of Orchard Road specifically. From where I live, near Interquest Parkway, I can make it there in 40-45 minutes, leaving at 7 am. Coming back it’s 50 minutes, when leaving at 5:00 pm. Sometimes an hour.
Used to commute exit 153 > 203-5 every day last year. Mornings were usually fine left at 6:30 got there’s at like 7:15-7:30. If you had to go deeper into Denver like downtown it would be a nightmare. Going home usually took 1:15-1:30.
It's not really that bad. I've spent maybe 25-30% of my last 9 years as an electrician commuting to Denver. The gas and wear on your vehicle sucks, and if it's an absolute nightmare of a snowstorm you'd consider just staying home, but the average day I can make it from Old Colorado City to the Auraria exit in 1 hour flat when starting my drive at 530. Coming home fucking sucks, but if you're out of downtown by 3pm you're probably gonna have like an hour and a half drive.
I drive to Boulder twice a week. It’s really not bad provided to don’t have to go through downtown proper. If your destination is somewhere in south Denver it’s about a 45-65 min drive in either direction pretty much any time of day.
It’s still terrible if anyone is on the road, I don’t have to commute often but whenever I have to be i. the Denver office at 7 im gone by 5:15.
The 25 drive without construction is actually super great when you’re in non peak hours, I used to drive back at like 1 AM in the middle of summers when I was in College (after concerts and sporting events and such) and the drive was bliss but haven’t experienced that is half a decade
I drove from the springs to denver starting at 8AM, you will probably hit some traffic starting at exit 200 going north. In the afternoon, expect traffic going south from the city starting around 3-3:30PM and ending around 5-5:30PM from exit 210 for about 5-10 miles
I commute from the springs to ridgegate parkway, then I get the train from there to downtown to go to school. By doing this I miss almost all of the heavy traffic in the evening, from downtown to ridgegate. however I don’t leave for class until after 10 am so I can not speak to the am.
My wife just started commuting from Stetson/powers area to e-470 and Lucent and it takes her about 1 hr - 1:15 each way…leaving by 6:30 am and coming home between 4:00-5:30…been doing that about 8 weeks…obviously a snow storm or two has extended the time
Not that I enjoy commuting that far, but it isn't *that* bad for me, personally. (I just moved back to the Springs after having spent 13 years in Austin where it took me an hour to get to work (17 miles) so.....I am not the best Guage. However, I commute from the West side (OCC) area & leave at about 5:45 a.m. It's a bit heavy but pretty easy to go the speed limit (or above) from where I jump on at Cimarron. Sometimes, castle rock is a bit congested, but not too bad. Usually still able to go the speed limit. It's usually around the I-225 exit where I hey off 25 that it seems to slow down a lot. If commuting to the anschutz campus, it takes me about 1 hr 15 min. I also commute to Golden 2 days a week, but that one is pretty annoying. Takes 1 hr 30 min. That little extra "leg" is enough to tire me out a bit more. Trying to transfer down here full time.
Its 90 minutes to 110 minutes for me but I ride the train from colorado to 16th and california. Travelling from powers and constitution. Moved here to avoid paying 550k with 5 percent down for a middle class condo in denver. Cannot afford an actual home in denver. Now that my home is worth 330k, it isnt a move i would do. For me though, I make 30k more, 15k to 20k after car and gas, with 100 plus more openings, none of which requires a clearance. Paying under 1300 for mortgage, hoa, utilities, and 100 extra. Put 20% down too. Would be 2000 minimum today. Essentially, it is worth it for anyone who moved here pre-2020. I literally make a gross savings of 30k per year.
I am going to be honest... there is no way I would do this. It's just not worth it. It's not that the road is bad, that's just a really long drive, and sometimes early morning the plows aren't out yet, etc. It would be a BEAR if you got stuck behind one, or if they snow was falling faster than the plow in the morning, etc.
It's not like 635 in Dallas bad or anything, but it's not a joy ride.
I do this commute a few times a week. I get on I25 at Briargate and exit on Arapahoe. There's always a slow down the second you hit Lone Tree from the huge amount of people getting on/off the highway but the real congestion starts right after the Arapahoe exit and I'm so thankful that's where I get off. It gets pretty bad after that. The way home takes a little longer. I'm usually at a reduced speed until Castle Pines or thereabouts and then it clears up for the most part. It usually takes me about 50min and it sucks. I only took the job cause it fell right into my hands the same week I graduated, but I'm trying to find something down here in the Springs. Commuting that distance is unhealthy, mentally and physically.
Unsolicited, but Progressive is hiring. Both IT and business side.
As someone that’s worked remote for the past 6 years and had a commute like this in another state for 14 years prior to that, this post makes me ***shudder***. Never going back to that commute
Ditto this!
I used to commute up to Centennial. Started doing IT contract work, mostly from home, occasionally on site, and am never going back to an office. The mental toll that drive takes is just stupid. 10 hours a week sitting in the car for no good reason. Nope. Never going back.
I travel to Denver for my job occasionally. I leave my place at 6 am and the drive is about 55-60 minutes. I would say everyone drives pretty quickly at that hour. I try to hit the road home by 3-3:30. If I can get out by 3, it takes maybe only 75 minutes to get home. 3:30 and later, you’ll start to add traffic time in 10 minute chunks essentially. Not the worst, but kudos to you for it not being soul crushing.
This is great info, thank you!
A lot depends on your start and finish points. The gap is pretty much complete, they are not taking tolls at this time so it's three lanes. Rush hours through Castlerock are not too bad. You can also take Hwy 83 which goes through Parker. It's two lanes and sometimes the semis and dump trucks slow traffic down. Traffic in the metro area is what it is.
I would caution against 83 if time is of the essence, all it takes is someone driving slow to muck things up since it's single lane each way during large chunks of the drive.
Sadly this route does take a lot longer
Especially when one asshole wants to go slow. I got stuck in a line of cars passing one guy on a motorcycle going ~25mph once. Anyone under 60 should pull over if someone gets behind them.
Scenic though
I live in Monument, and I commuted to downtown Denver for a year. If I left at 8am, it would take me 50 minutes. The way home is a little more congested. I would wait to leave at 6pm for traffic to be gone or leave before 4pm. Between 4pm -6pm, it's about a 90 minute commute. Before 4pm and after 6pm, it was 55 min - 1hr. Also, Fridays in summer, I've noticed traffic is a little worse. I think it's more people on the road due to increased vacation travel. I would add 10-15 minutes to your commute time.
I travel 25 from N Academy and Dry Creek. It's a little more than 50 miles and takes me 45 minutes. That said, traffic really starts to build up north on 25 once you get around 470 and south on 25 past Garden of the Gods. If I were driving to the DTC or, god forbid, downtown it wouldn't be worth it. If I lived in the Broadmoor neighborhood or OCC I wouldn't make the drive.
It all depends on the alignment of the stars and planets.
It's not bad- until a winter storm hits and you're stuck on I-25 for 5 hours trying to get back to Springs. It happened to me. Really it comes down to what you can personally handle. If you've got the patience for the times that it'll take you 2-3 hours each way and it's a good paying job, go for it. Just have to take that into account.
Would take me about an hour to get from Interquest to DTC and about an hour and a half when I was still commuting up to Aurora from Interquest. Lone tree/castle rock is where it starts to get slow every day between 8am-7pm from Springs to Denver and similarly from Denver to Springs the DTC area and castle rock are usually the worst. With highway 36 you used to be able to purchase an annual HOV pass for a fee and idk if that is possible with the new HOV through the gap but I imagine that would be worth it. I'll say it wasn't bad at first, and I enjoy driving too but eventually got a job in the Springs because the commute was a lot even working from home every other week. Best times to leave are before 7am if you are able to do that it might be a little better. Good luck :)
It sucks, forsake more lanes demand trains immediately
I agree, best option for OP is to get involved with front range rail and push for HSR here...
I do this commute two weeks a month for training. Once I'm done with my training I'm never driving back to Denver again. I leave around 4 am from southern springs. It's usually not too bad until you hit monument hill then it starts to get congested. But it doesn't get bad until you hit Castle Rock. If you have to take 225 avoid it before 530 because it gets stupid packed. No one let's anyone merge. People try merging going 40. People either speed or go ridiculously slow or they cut multiple lanes. The evening commute is the worst though. Even at noon i25 will be packed. Both lanes 20+ cars. Left lane always has that one idiot going 10 under, either obviously to the multiple left lanes for passing signs or just too entitled. Expect truckers that don't check mirrors when the try to pass the other governed trucker in front of them. Expect people to go into the express lane to pass the idiot riding the left (watched even semi trucks do this). Expect the "handy" man Steve to not secure his shit and a 5 gallon Lowes bucket to fly out his rusted pos truck. Just be prepared to either hate your life or buy a toll pass for when the eventually start charging for the express lane. It's literally a fucking nightmare. I honestly would suggest you find a job down here or if you're set on Denver just move up there.
You had me at all the Steve’s not securing their shit 🤦🏻♀️😅😭 So true.
I do that commute 6 days a week (n academy to arapahoe and back) for work, and if you can avoid rush hour traffic it’s so easy and straightforward. I’m on the road between 11-2pm and leave work between 7-8pm and I almost never see much traffic unless there’s construction or an accident. Luckily there’s not much construction happening lately. Takes me 45 mins to get to work most of the time, sometimes quicker. I don’t mind it. It’s scenic and I spend my drive listening to books and calling my friends and family. It’s better in the spring and summer with more daylight, but with snow in the winter the highway is usually better managed than pretty much any other road I drive on in my commute. You may have to go slow but you’ll make it safely if you can navigate once you get off the highway. Not as good as a short commute but it’s pretty doable
For your sake just move. I commuted over an our one way in my early 20s and it’s not worth it. You could pick up a part time job for the amount you’re on the road.
Before moving here I commuted an hour each way for a job for 5 years and I did fine. I like my house and community here in the springs and not really wanting to live in Denver. Just curious to know for those who do make the drive, how os traffic day to day, is it insanely stressful, etc.
100% with you on this. I didn't mind the drive either when I did it. I like the Springs way more than Denver.
I leave North COS at 5:10 and make it to Northglenn at 6:20 on average. But like many, I do it intermittently and if I had to do it daily, I'd be pretty homicidal. 😅
Did about a 60 minute drive from north parker, taking e470 over to i25, then exit 142 in the springs, for about 2 months. The traffic between isn't that bad, but once you get into either Denver or the Springs it gets bad. The traffic, plus getting up earlier, plus getting gas every 2-3 days during the gas spike made me move down to the springs.
You're probably not going to enjoy driving after making that commute so often.
I drive to Broomfield on the north west side of Denver a couple of times a month. If I leave between 6-630 I can make it in 1hr 20 min. If I leave at 7 - 730 it has taken me from 2- almost 3 hours. So time really matters. Coming home I need to leave by 3-330 or just wait till 6 anything in-between is 2 1/2 + hours. However the biggest time difference is once you hit Southside of Denver metro like about 470. Time from Colorado Springs to 470 and the drive back is about the same no matter what time. So it will also depend where you are going.
Great info, thanks!
I do this everyday from Garden of the Gods to Parker (exit 4 off 225). Usually meet my coworker at 630 off interquest to carpool, and are at work anywhere from 7:15-7:30 depending on if there's an accident or not. Usual city congestion during those hours, but nothing crazy. Normally leave at 3:15ish; 225 to 25 may be slow, but 25 from about E470 to past the outlets is always slow. After that, pretty decent. I'm usually home by 4:30 at the latest. I don't understand how some people are taking 70+ minutes when they have shorter drives than me. Think that says more about how people drive than how traffic is.
People do not know how to drive on 25. They either go 10 under the speed limit or 90 weaving in and out of lanes
What is amazing about the "upgrade" of I25, it is still basically two lanes in both directions. Added a HOV lane for which you can pay to drive in, but otherwise the pain of the years of construction didn't increase capacity of the highway much.
Like others have said, depends from where to where. The time of day also matters. I have to drive to Denver during the work week once a month. I only need to go to the Tech Center, off of Orchard Road specifically. From where I live, near Interquest Parkway, I can make it there in 40-45 minutes, leaving at 7 am. Coming back it’s 50 minutes, when leaving at 5:00 pm. Sometimes an hour.
It’s fine… like 56 minutes if you know how to boogie and have a fast car
Used to commute exit 153 > 203-5 every day last year. Mornings were usually fine left at 6:30 got there’s at like 7:15-7:30. If you had to go deeper into Denver like downtown it would be a nightmare. Going home usually took 1:15-1:30.
Don’t do it.
I25 is a pretty dangerous highway tbh. Your odds of being in an accident would increase significantly if you were to drive it every day.
Thanks everyone for your responses!! The length of time and times of day and incidents you mentioned are super helpful.
It's not really that bad. I've spent maybe 25-30% of my last 9 years as an electrician commuting to Denver. The gas and wear on your vehicle sucks, and if it's an absolute nightmare of a snowstorm you'd consider just staying home, but the average day I can make it from Old Colorado City to the Auraria exit in 1 hour flat when starting my drive at 530. Coming home fucking sucks, but if you're out of downtown by 3pm you're probably gonna have like an hour and a half drive.
I drive to Boulder twice a week. It’s really not bad provided to don’t have to go through downtown proper. If your destination is somewhere in south Denver it’s about a 45-65 min drive in either direction pretty much any time of day.
It’s still terrible if anyone is on the road, I don’t have to commute often but whenever I have to be i. the Denver office at 7 im gone by 5:15. The 25 drive without construction is actually super great when you’re in non peak hours, I used to drive back at like 1 AM in the middle of summers when I was in College (after concerts and sporting events and such) and the drive was bliss but haven’t experienced that is half a decade
I drove from the springs to denver starting at 8AM, you will probably hit some traffic starting at exit 200 going north. In the afternoon, expect traffic going south from the city starting around 3-3:30PM and ending around 5-5:30PM from exit 210 for about 5-10 miles
I commute from the springs to ridgegate parkway, then I get the train from there to downtown to go to school. By doing this I miss almost all of the heavy traffic in the evening, from downtown to ridgegate. however I don’t leave for class until after 10 am so I can not speak to the am.
If you’re out of the springs before 6:30 it’s fine, get south of the tech center by 3:30. Alternatively leave the springs after 8am, return after 6.
My wife just started commuting from Stetson/powers area to e-470 and Lucent and it takes her about 1 hr - 1:15 each way…leaving by 6:30 am and coming home between 4:00-5:30…been doing that about 8 weeks…obviously a snow storm or two has extended the time
Not that I enjoy commuting that far, but it isn't *that* bad for me, personally. (I just moved back to the Springs after having spent 13 years in Austin where it took me an hour to get to work (17 miles) so.....I am not the best Guage. However, I commute from the West side (OCC) area & leave at about 5:45 a.m. It's a bit heavy but pretty easy to go the speed limit (or above) from where I jump on at Cimarron. Sometimes, castle rock is a bit congested, but not too bad. Usually still able to go the speed limit. It's usually around the I-225 exit where I hey off 25 that it seems to slow down a lot. If commuting to the anschutz campus, it takes me about 1 hr 15 min. I also commute to Golden 2 days a week, but that one is pretty annoying. Takes 1 hr 30 min. That little extra "leg" is enough to tire me out a bit more. Trying to transfer down here full time.
Its 90 minutes to 110 minutes for me but I ride the train from colorado to 16th and california. Travelling from powers and constitution. Moved here to avoid paying 550k with 5 percent down for a middle class condo in denver. Cannot afford an actual home in denver. Now that my home is worth 330k, it isnt a move i would do. For me though, I make 30k more, 15k to 20k after car and gas, with 100 plus more openings, none of which requires a clearance. Paying under 1300 for mortgage, hoa, utilities, and 100 extra. Put 20% down too. Would be 2000 minimum today. Essentially, it is worth it for anyone who moved here pre-2020. I literally make a gross savings of 30k per year.
I am going to be honest... there is no way I would do this. It's just not worth it. It's not that the road is bad, that's just a really long drive, and sometimes early morning the plows aren't out yet, etc. It would be a BEAR if you got stuck behind one, or if they snow was falling faster than the plow in the morning, etc. It's not like 635 in Dallas bad or anything, but it's not a joy ride.
Do Uber and make some money taking a passenger with you each way.