Bridge Work to Close Highway 115

June 6, 2011 - TRAFFIC ADVISORY - Southeastern Colorado/CDOT Region 2 - FREMONT COUNTY – The Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT) will close State Highway (SH) 115 at the Arkansas River Bridge for approximately two-and-a-half weeks for bridge repairs near Florence.

Beginning on Monday, June 13, SH 115 will be closed to through traffic between U.S. 50 near Penrose and SH 120. The bridge, located about two miles east of Florence, will be closed for waterproofing and to allow the expansion joints to be replaced. It is scheduled to remain closed until Thursday, June 30.

While the closure is in place, through traffic will need to use U.S. 50 and SH 67 as the detour route. Local traffic will be allowed to travel on SH 115 up to closure points, just north and south of the bridge.

In addition to bridge work, CDOT will rotomill and pave SH 115 between U.S. 50 and SH 120 while traffic is minimal.

CDOT is replacing the expansion joints as part of a larger project that includes paving and bridge and culverts improvements on SH 115 between Florence and the south end of El Paso County. Since expansion joints allow bridges to expand and contract, and avoid structural damage, replacing the joints periodically can extend the life of a bridge several years.

Paving north of Penrose is scheduled to begin in July. Specific information regarding work hours and traffic impacts for this segment will be distributed before work begins.

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.