Three Hour Closure Scheduled Wednesday, March 5 for Blasting on US 36 Emergency Flood Reconstruction between Lyons and Estes Park
BOULDER, LARIMER COUNTIES — The Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT), the Federal Highway Administration – Central Federal Lands Highway Division (CFLHD), and contractor American Civil Constructors, Inc. have scheduled the third of 20 different three-hour blasting operations for 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Wednesday, March 5, at mile marker 17.6 just west of Lyons. Timing of this blasting event was determined to ensure passage for afternoon school bus routes. The blasting is part of the US 36 Emergency Flood Reconstruction project between Lyons and Estes Park.
The blasting will require full stops of both directions of traffic for three hours just west of mile marker (MM) 17.6, which just west of Lyons and east of Pinewood Springs. Motorists will need to use alternate routes, especially via State Highway 7 between Lyons and Estes Park, as no through traffic will be allowed during the closure and major delays are expected!
During blasting activities, crews will be loosening sections of the mountainside and then removing the loosened materials from the roadway. On average, the highway will be moved inland away from the river 20 feet, with the range varying between five feet to 50 feet. Altogether, an expected 210,000 cubic yards of material is expected to be removed (the equivalent of 210,000 dishwashers). The materials will be recycled and used to not only stabilize the embankment below the highway, but will also be used to stabilize the river channel. Leftover materials will be donated to other area reconstruction projects underway by towns and counties still recovering from the flood, including the County Road 80 (Longmont Dam Road) project underway by Boulder County and the city of Longmont. Unfortunately, no materials will be available for donation to private citizens.
Altogether, there will be 20 different three hour full closures, 10 different two hour full closures, and 10 different night time full closures. The night time full closures will last from 10 p.m. until 5 a.m. Due to this and other projects on US 36, including utility work as well as work on Longmont Dam Road, major delays are expected on US 36 during the hours of 8 a.m. and 4 p.m. daily. CDOT is strongly recommending the use of US 34 between Loveland and Estes Park, and SH 7 between Estes Park and Lyons as alternate routes for those who can use them. Throughout the duration of construction, cyclists will not be permitted on US 36 within the work zones, and several trail access points will be closed for safety reasons. Other flood-impacted highways will remain open for cyclists, who ride at their own risk and are urged to ride using extra caution.
American Civil Constructors, Inc. is the contractor for this project.
For additional questions or comments about the US 36 repairs project, please contact [email protected] or call the project hotline at 970-591-0001. Further information about the project is also available on the project website at www.coloradodot.info/projects/floodrelatedprojects/us-36-lyons-to-estes. Motorists are encouraged to sign up for email updates about the project by clicking on the green cell phone icon on the right hand side of the project website.
To receive updates about road conditions in your area, visit www.coloradodot.info and click on the green cell phone icon in the upper right hand corner of the page. Information about weekly lane closures will be available at www.coloradodot.info/travel/scheduled-lane-closures.html. Live road conditions are available at www.cotrip.org or by calling 511 from anywhere in the state. Updates are also available via Twitter @coloradodot and be sure to “Like” our Facebook page at www.facebook.com/coloradodot.
