Michigan River Bridge Replacement Schedule Revised
JACKSON COUNTY – The Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT) has revised the work schedule for the construction of the Michigan River Bridge replacement on State Highway (SH) 125. Located just one mile north of Walden, the Michigan River Bridge was built in 1937 and is structurally deficient.
To date, crews have cleared the work area to prepare it for future work, installed erosion control devices, began forming the box culverts that will replace the bridge, drained standing water, excavated the surrounding earth, and graded it to prepare for construction. All work is currently taking place outside of the roadway or under the existing bridge.
Moving forward through 2012, crews will continue the construction of the box culvert, will re-route the flow of the Michigan River, perform earthwork, and stabilize the slope near the river. Crews will work through the fall as weather permits, and are expected to demobilize for the winter in November.
Beginning in spring 2013, crews will return to the site as soon as weather permits, likely in May or June, and will construct a traffic detour, remove the existing bridge, construct the new roadway over the box culvert, stripe the roadway, install signage, add fencing, remove detours, and revegetate the area. When traffic is using the detour in the spring and summer, there will be load restrictions in place for commercial vehicles. All work is expected to be complete in July 2013.
Work will take place from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m., Monday through Friday, with potential work taking place at night and on weekends. Speed limits have been reduced to 35 MPH through the work zone and intermittent traffic delays of up to 10 minutes may occur throughout construction to allow equipment to access the work zone. Motorists are reminded to obey all road signs and flaggers, and to drive Slow for the Cone Zone.
Construction of this project was delayed at its start due to environmental concerns regarding the presence of protected animals in the area. Because of the delay, the difficulty of acquiring materials such as asphalt so late in the year, and CDOT’s desire to not have traffic on the detour over the winter due to safety and maintenance concerns, the project is now scheduled for completion in 2013.
American Civil Constructors, Inc. is the contractor for this $1.5 million bridge project that is funded by CDOT and the Federal Highway Administration.
Businesses and residents are encouraged to sign up for periodic updates at [email protected]. This email system will be used to alert recipients to any significant project activities or unscheduled delays. Additional information can be retrieved through the project information office at 970-409-9548 or by contacting ACC’s public information officer, Jody Randall, directly at 720-244-7312.
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