Flood Mitigation Lane Closures Postponed

Eastbound Highway 24 near Waldo Canyon now will be closed on the morning of Tuesday, February 18, with all traffic shifted over to the westbound lanes – one lane in each direction.  The highway will remain in this configuration for about two weeks, 24 hours a day, seven days a week.  When work on the eastbound side is complete, all traffic will be moved to the eastbound lanes for another couple weeks, allowing construction on the westbound lanes.

During construction, a 35 mph speed limit will be in effect and vehicles wider than 12 feet will not be allowed to travel through the work zone.

The closure will allow an extra-large concrete box culvert to be installed underneath the highway.  Measuring 24 feet wide and 10 feet high, the culvert will be ten times larger than the 72 inch metal pipe currently in use.

Preparation work continues Friday, with the left lane of eastbound and westbound Highway 24 closed for one mile from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m.

PLEASE NOTE: Drivers should expect possible slowdowns or delays through the area during the morning and evening rush hours.

“We anticipate a busy holiday weekend so we thought it would be best to move the closure until after President’s Day,” said CDOT Resident Engineer Dave Watt.  “Delaying the work for a few days allows commuter and recreational traffic to flow smoothly to and from the mountains and we’ll still be able to complete the work in a timely manner.”

The $1.4 million project is scheduled for completion by April 30, 2014.