US 34 Wray Bridge Replacement Project Complete

YUMA COUNTY — The Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT) has completed the first-of-its-kind bridge replacement project on US 34 east of Wray near mile marker (MM) 254. The project finished on time and on budget.

“We are very proud of this project, which was the first of its kind in Colorado,” said Project Manager Craig Schumacher. “As the first slide-in bridge replacement in the state, this project has raised the bar for similar projects, and has set a new standard for how we can better reduce the impact of construction to motorists.”

As part of the project, crews demolished and removed the old bridge and slid a new one in its place after it had been built parallel to the old one. By building the new bridge alongside the old and then sliding it into place where the former bridge stood, CDOT was able to use resources as efficiently as possible, keep the highway open longer than would have been previously possible, and kept closures to a minimum. The former timber bridge over the North Fork of the Republican River, built in 1949, was both functionally obsolete and structurally deficient, requiring replacement.

Lawrence Construction was the contractor for the $2.5 million replacement project funded through the Colorado Bridge Enterprise (CBE), a government-owned entity within CDOT. The purpose of the CBE is to complete repair, reconstruct, or replace bridges that are in poor condition. To learn more about the CBE, visit www.coloradodot.info/programs/BridgeEnterprise.

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