Highway 24 Bridge Project Begins
EL PASO COUNTY – Work is underway to replace the Black Squirrel Creek Bridge on U.S. 24, about two miles west of Peyton (picture below).
Traffic continues to use the old bridge while detour construction is taking place, just south of the highway. However, occasional traffic stops up to 10 minutes can be expected from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Friday. The speed limit also is reduced and vehicles wider than 12 feet are restricted from traveling through the work zone.
The detour is scheduled to open to traffic on Friday, January 13, allowing vehicles to travel through the work zone unimpeded while the new bridge is begin built. A reduced 45 mph speed limit will be in effect on the detour route and traffic stops up to 10 minutes are possible from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Friday.
Traffic is expected to remain in this configuration until May 2012, when the project is scheduled for completion.
In addition to removing the old structure, new bridge and detour construction, the project includes new asphalt pavement, guardrails, seeding, and mulching.
“We’re replacing a bridge that was built in 1935, that’s rated in poor condition and that doesn’t meet current highway standards,” said CDOT Resident Engineer Mark Andrew. “It’s only 28 feet wide and has a vertical clearance less than 16 feet because of the old steel trusses. Today’s safety standards require a minimum 40-foot roadway and a minimal clearance of 16-feet, six inches, which the new structure will more than provide.”
Lawrence Construction Co. of Littleton, CO. is the project’s prime contractor.
“The new bridge is designed for a 75-year life span, so it’s a long-term improvement to Colorado’s highway system”, added Andrew. “The wider shoulders also will provide a sufficient area for vehicles to pull-off the roadway or to swerve to avoid oncoming traffic so safety will be significantly enhanced through the area.”
FASTER – Funding Advancements for Surface Transportation and Economic Recovery – is fully funding the $2 million project. Financed by vehicle registration fees, FASTER established a Statewide Bridge Enterprise, funding the maintenance and repair of Colorado’s most urgent structurally-deficient and functionally-obsolete bridges. Additional information is accessible at: www.coloradodot.info/projects/faster.
Updated information regarding traffic impacts on this or other CDOT projects is available at www.coloradodot.info/travel/scheduled-lane-closures.html or by calling 511. To receive project updates via e-mail, 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.
