Bridge Deck Rehabilitation to Cause Delays on Eastbound I-70 at Ward Road This Weekend

April 29, 2011 - TRAFFIC ADVISORY - Denver Metro Colorado/CDOT Region 6 - DENVER—Starting at 9 p.m. tonight, April 29th and continuing through 5:30 a.m. on Monday, May 2nd, weather permitting, the right lane of eastbound I-70 at Ward Road as well as the on-ramp from State Highway (SH) 58 to eastbound I-70 will be closed for bridge deck rehabilitation.

Motorists needing access to eastbound I-70 from SH 58 can travel east on SH 58 to westbound I-70 and take I-70 to 32nd Avenue and travel east to Youngfield Street.  Take Youngfield Street north where access to eastbound I-70 is available.

The bridge deck rehabilitation consists of rotomilling the existing asphalt mat, removing the deteriorated concrete, replacing the bridge deck with new concrete, paving, and striping.

The bridge deck work is complete on westbound I-70 over Ward Road.  It will take two weekends, including this weekend, to complete the work on eastbound I-70 over Ward Road.  Once the work is completed on eastbound I-70 over Ward Road, crews will begin work on eastbound and westbound I-70 over 44th Avenue.  The work is expected to take approximately five more weekends to complete, following this weekend’s work.

During the weekend work, major delays are expected and alternate routes are strongly advised.  The speed limit will be reduced to 55 MPH during work hours only.  Most fines for infractions that occur in the work zone will be doubled.  CDOT would like to remind motorists to plan ahead, obey all construction signs and flaggers and “Slow for the Cone Zone.”

The bridge deck rehabilitation is part of an interchange improvement at I-70 and Ward Road that reconstructed the eastbound I-70 ramps at 44th Avenue/Ward Road to increase merge distance. The north side of 44th Avenue was also widened to accommodate two left turn lanes from eastbound 44th Avenue to I-70 as well as one full continuous merge lane on 44th Avenue between the I-70 off-ramp and Ward Road.  The interchange improvements are complete, but the bridge deck rehabilitation work remains as well as some paving on I-70.

Asphalt Paving Co. is the contractor for this $8.5 million project scheduled to be complete by the end of July 2011.