I-70 Reopens Ahead of Schedule Following a Weekend of Bridge Work at Pecos Street

The bridge started moving onto I-70 at noon on Saturday and was set in it’s final configuration around 1 a.m. on Sunday morning. In addition, the new pedestrian bridge on the west side of Pecos Street is now open.

"Our decision to completely close I-70 for one full weekend reduced what could have been an additional eight months of lane closures," said CDOT Project Engineer Tamara Hunter-Maurer  "By constructing the bridge on the side of the highway over the past several months and rolling the bridge into place over a weekend, we were able to substantially minimize the overall impact to the traveling public and greatly reduce the duration of the entire project."

While I-70 has reopened, Pecos Street over I-70 will remain closed until late August or early September to allow crews to construct the roundabouts that will replace the signalized intersections on Pecos Street. During the closure of Pecos Street, additional signage and a detour route will be in place. Motorists are encouraged to use Federal Boulevard to cross I-70 during this closure or use I-76 as an alternate route. Access to all businesses north and south of I-70 will be maintained and additional signage will be installed to provide direction during the course of this closure. 

The contractor, Kiewit Infrastructure, had more than 100 crew members working around the clock from Friday through Sunday to ensure that the bridge was set safely and that I-70 opened on time for the Monday morning rush hour. 

In addition to the crews, more than 1,000 people visited the public viewing area this weekend to see the various construction activities – from the demolition of the old Pecos Street bridge and the roll-in of the new bridge, to the final placement of barrier and cleaning of the highway. An additional 500 people viewed the activities through the live streaming on the project webpage.

The I-70/Pecos Street project replaces the existing bridge, which was originally constructed in 1965 and is in poor condition and replaces the existing signalized intersections on Pecos Street with two roundabouts. The project will improve the highway infrastructure, creating a safer trip for motorists. In addition, by constructing the roundabouts, congestion will be reduced, creating a more efficient transportation system that better supports economic and job growth.

The $18.6 million project is funded by the Colorado Bridge Enterprise, which uses a small portion of vehicle registration fees to repair or replace poor bridges. The project is scheduled to be completed in September 2013. 

For more information about the project, please visit the project website at www.coloradodot.info/projects/pecosoveri70. To receive weekly email updates during the project, visit www.coloradodot.info and click on the cell phone icon in the upper right corner. You can then sign up for various lists including “I-70 at Pecos” under Projects.