I-25 Frontage Road Near Berthoud/State Highway 56 Exit Closed Today Until Spring 2013

WELD COUNTY — Beginning today, Tuesday, September 4, 2012, the Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT) has closed the I-25 frontage road south of the Berthoud/State Highway 56 exit through spring 2013 to replace the existing steel arch bridge structure on the frontage road over the Little Thompson River. The bridge is located between Mead and Johnstown just south of I-25 at mile marker 250 (State Highway 56/Berthoud exit).

The existing bridge will be reconstructed with a longer and slightly higher concrete structure to accommodate the flood flow of the Little Thompson River. The existing structure was constructed in 1938 and is both in poor condition and structurally deficient. The project is expected to last through June 2013.

During construction, there will be travel impacts for regular users of the bridge, as it will be closed completely for the duration of construction. The frontage road will be closed just south of the Park-n-Ride located at I-25 Exit 250 (the Berthoud exit), but the Park-n-Ride will remain open throughout the duration of the project.

The frontage road will also be closed just north of the access for the Valley Dirt Riders facility. There will be detour signing directing traffic to Valley Dirt Riders via the I-25 Exit 245, then north on the frontage road, as access will only be available from the south. Work on the project will take place Mondays through Fridays from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. each day, and motorists are urged to drive Slow for the Cone Zone.

Zak Dirt is the contractor for this $1.3 million project, which is funded through the Colorado Bridge Enterprise (CBE). The CBE was formed in 2009 as part of the FASTER (Funding Advancement for Surface Transportation and Economic Recovery) legislation. The purpose of the CBE is to finance, repair, reconstruct and replace bridges designated as structurally deficient or functionally obsolete, and rated in poor condition.

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