Highway 10 Opens Friday

September 29, 2011 - Southeastern Colorado/CDOT Region 2 - OTERO COUNTY – The Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT) reopens State Highway 10 between La Junta and Walsenburg late tomorrow afternoon.

CDOT closed Highway 10 to through traffic in late July, allowing just over ½ mile of the roadway to be reconstructed, about 24 miles west of La Junta. It included removing the surface of the Apishapa River Bridge, allowing the deck to be waterproofed and repaved. The two-foot road base and asphalt surface also was replaced.

“Reconstructing that segment is extending the effective service life of the highway and increasing the lifespan of the bridge by at least 10 years,” said CDOT Project Engineer Rod Abbott. “We also widened the shoulders, enhancing traffic safety through the area.”

The $1 million project is on-time and on-budget.

“Completely closing the highway allowed us to rebuild it and reopen it to traffic within a shorter timeframe,” added Abbott. It would have taken considerably longer to complete the project if we had tried to keep traffic moving through there.”

Short traffic stops still may be required through the area over the next couple of weeks for landscaping and finishing work.

Habitat Construction of Rocky Ford, CO. was the prime contractor.