Another Highway 40/287 Project Begins
LINCOLN COUNTY – Work is underway on a four- mile reconstruction of U.S. 40/287, just east of Hugo.
The Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT) project includes rebuilding the highway in concrete, beginning at mile point 399.9 (Hugo east city limit), and continuing east to mile point 403.8. Work also involves placement of box culvert extensions, drainage improvements, striping and seeding.
Lane closures begin this week, with flaggers alternating traffic through the work zone at one or two locations, between 7 a.m. to 6 p.m., Monday through Friday, and on Saturdays, as necessary. Stops up to 10 minutes can be expected. A 40 mph speed limit will be in effect and vehicles wider than 12 feet are restricted from traveling through the area.
Beginning in mid-August, concrete paving is scheduled to begin, requiring a pilot car to alternate one lane of traffic through the work zone. This operation will be in place 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Delays up to 25 minutes should be expected. CDOT will send out an advisory shortly before this phase begins.
Pilot car operations are expected to conclude in early November.
The $5.7 million project, contracted to Castle Rock Construction Company of Centennial, CO., is scheduled for completion in December 2011.
CDOT has reconstructed 13 segments of U.S. 40/287 through southeastern Colorado since 1996. Finishing work is being completed on the most recent project – an eight-and-a-half mile reconstruction, just east of the new work zone.
U.S. 287 between the Oklahoma border (including U.S. 40 between Limon and Kit Carson) and Denver is Colorado’s portion of the Ports to Plains route. Concrete reconstruction of the highway is of primary importance due to its current and future use as a major truck route, its connection to Mexico and potential to attract and serve markets associated with NAFTA and international trade.
“Since this route is considered crucial for national, state and local economic development as the part of the Ports to Plains corridor, reconstructing the highway is vital in order to allow it to handle current and future traffic requirements,” says CDOT Resident Engineer Travis Miller. “We’re almost there. Only one more project remains after this one – through Kit Carson – in order to complete the corridor in this region.”
Traffic information about this or other CDOT projects is on the cotrip.org website, by calling 511 or via subscription e-mail. To subscribe, please visit www.coloradodot.info and click on the cell-phone icon in the upper right-hand corner. The link takes you to a list of items you can subscribe to, including Southeast Colorado (Everything East of I-25 and South of I-70).
