Winter Highway Construction Update

Projects include:

Interstate 25 between Woodmen Road & Monument

Third lane expected to be open in each direction between Interquest Parkway and North Gate by December 31; third lanes now open in each direction between Woodmen and Interquest.  Winter work entails guardrail, lighting and sign installation.  Minimal traffic impacts through March.  Final paving and lane openings in spring.  Project completion scheduled for summer 2014.  Benefits: Increases highway capacity and, in turn, safety, mobility and travel along the Front Range.

Interstate 25 at Raton Pass

Resurfaces 7½ mile segment, south of Trinidad.  Work hours are 7 a.m. to 6 p.m., Monday through Friday when temperatures are warm enough to permit paving operations.  Project continues through March 2014.  Benefits: Provides a smoother road surface, reducing vehicle wear, tear and maintenance.  New guardrails and striping enhances safety.

Interstate 25 Business (U.S. 85/87) north of Walsenburg

Replaces 79-year-old bridge over Sull Creek.  Work hours 7 a.m. to 6 p.m., Monday through Friday.  Work begins in January and is scheduled for completion in autumn 2014.  Paved detour will be in place.  Benefits: Provides safer driving conditions with a wider roadway and new structure.

U.S. 50 at Ordinance Road (east of Pueblo)

Repairs the structurally-deficient bridge accessing the Pueblo Chemical Depot.  Work hours 7 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday throughFriday.  Completion by December 24.  Delays possible on eastbound Highway 50 and on the access road.  Benefits: Improves driver safety and increases the bridge’s lifespan.

U.S. 50 in west La Junta

Work includes drainage and median barrier improvements, crossover/access paving, and roadside ditch repairs.  Work hours 7 a.m. to 6 p.m., Monday through Friday.  Benefits: Improves safety by helping prevent crossover accidents and road flooding.

U.S. 350 – 12 miles northeast of Trinidad

Replaces structurally-deficient bridge over the Purgatoire River.  Work hours are 7 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Friday.  On-site paved detour.  Work continues through April 2014.  Benefits: New bridge will have wider shoulders, enhancing motorist safety.  Upgrades state highway infrastructure.

State Highway (SH) 120 near Portland (east of Florence)

Bridge replacement at the Arkansas River, just east of the junction with SH 115.  Work hours 7 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Friday, with some Saturdays.  Completion scheduled for May 2014.  Benefits:Provides safer conditions for motorists with a two-lane bridge and wider shoulders.

Along segments of U.S. 24, State Highway 21 (Powers Boulevard), State Highway 96 and I-25

Work includes installing conduit, fiber lines and pull boxes.  Installation of VMS near Fort Carson/State Highway 16 exit in Fountain.  Work hours 7 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Friday.  Project scheduled during February. Benefits: Provides connectivity for future variable message signs (VMS) and cameras, enhancing communications to the traveling public.

Along segments of U.S. 24 & U.S. 50

Work includes installing conduit, fiber lines and pull boxes.  Work hours 7 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Friday.  Project scheduled to begin in early January and completed in June 2014.

Benefits: Provides connectivity for future variable message signs (VMS) and cameras, enhancing communications to the traveling public.

State Highway 96 in Pueblo

Replaces four traffic signals on SH 96 in downtown Pueblo.  Also installs concrete curb sticks and ADA ramps.  Work hours are 7 a.m. to 6 p.m., Monday through Friday; no lane closures permitted during morning (7 a.m. to 9 a.m.) and evening (4 p.m. to 6 p.m.) commuter hours.  Construction scheduled to begin in late February and completed in late May 2014.  Benefits: Enhances public safety by replacing aging signal equipment and reducing pedestrian crossing distance.  Also improves access for persons with disabilities and enhances corridor aesthetics.

PLEASE NOTE: All projects listed above are weather permitting.  Traffic delays or slowing should be anticipated through most work zones due to lower posted speed limits and necessary traffic control measures.  The listed duration also is approximate since other factors can extend, delay or interrupt projects.

CDOT’s statewide road construction information is available by checkingwww.coloradodot.info and www.cotrip.org 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.