Aurora opened a new exit ramp off of E-470, connecting the highway directly to The Aurora Highlands — a master-planned community in northeast Aurora that already houses about 1,000 people, according to a news release from the community’s marketing agency Prim and Co.

The newly built ramp onto The Aurora Highlands Parkway is a big step forward in growth and connectivity for northeast Aurora, according to the release. 

The Aurora Highlands is a 4,000-acre community designed to home tens of thousands of residents when it’s finished, with one of four schools inaugurated by Aurora Public Schools last fall and that will eventually include a shopping district, public art park and civic center, among other amenities.

According to Prim and Co., the community is expected to generate almost 200,000 jobs in the metro area, playing a “pivotal role in the region’s economic boom.”

The exit’s opening Friday is part of the larger E-470 interchange project, which broke ground this past January and is expected to be complete in spring 2024. 

It’s purpose is to connect The Aurora Highlands with the wider region, bettering Aurora’s inter-connectivity.

Carlo and Carla Ferreira, a father-daughter duo and development team of The Aurora Highlands, took an inaugural drive on the new ramp Friday alongside Matt Hopper, the chairman of the Aerotropolis Regional Transportation Authority (ARTA) and Jason Hagerty, the construction project manager from Kiewit. 

Carla Ferreira said driving down the new ramp was a personal joy and a symbol of “the strides we’ve taken,” adding it was also her birthday and the drive was a great way to celebrate.

“It is a testament to this community’s growth and the promise of a vibrant, connected future we are building together,” Ferreira said. 

The Aurora Highlands lies to the east of the metro area near Denver International Airport and will provide over 11,000 housing units, over 21 miles of trails, 12 neighborhood parks and 20 pocket parks, according to the news release.