Mulberry Bridge (SH14) eastbound detour starts Tuesday at 7 p.m.

The Colorado Department of Transportation worked closely with the City of Fort Collins to determine detour routes.

The detour routes for eastbound traffic will be in place for the duration of the project, expected to be late 2015. Two routes will be signed. Cars wanting to return to Mulberry will stay on Riverside to northbound Lemay. I-25 bound traffic will stay on southbound Riverside to eastbound Prospect.

Eastbound detours:

With the eastbound SH 14 detour in place, crews can start to prepare SH 14 for the westbound traffic shift. The two SH 14 westbound lanes will transition to the vacated eastbound lanes between South Lemay Avenue and Riverside Avenue. This will enable the contractor to remove and construct the north half of the bridge during the Poudre River’s “low-flow” season this winter. Then westbound traffic will shift to the new lanes while the south side of the bridge is under construction.

Trail users – The Poudre River Trail is open through the Woodward construction site, which is north of the Mulberry Street bridge. For more information on the Woodward project, go to:  http://www.fcgov.com/woodward/.

The portion of the trail that provides access underneath the SH 14 (Mulberry Street) bridge will close late next week. This will be the only portion of the trail to close due to the project. A signed detour is in place to direct trail users to cross SH 14 at the Mulberry Street / South Lemay Avenue intersection.

The trail bridge, which is adjacent to and south of the SH 14 vehicle bridge, is open and accessible during Phase I of the project.

Originally built in 1949, the existing bridge is structurally deficient and warrants replacement as part of the Colorado Bridge Enterprise (CBE). The existing bridge will be replaced with one that is wider to meet current standards, accommodate bicycle lanes and sidewalks for pedestrians. CDOT will also construct new retaining walls and storm sewer, as well as reconstruct the east access to the Waste Water Treatment plant.

The total cost of the construction project is approximately $9.6 million. Funds will be part of the CBE, which was formed in 2009 as part of the FASTER (Funding Advancement for Surface Transportation and Economic Recovery) legislation. The purpose of the CBE is to finance, repair, reconstruct and replace bridges designated as structurally deficient or functionally obsolete, and rated in poor condition. This additional transportation funding is essential to allowing CDOT to better maintain and improve the safety of our bridges.

The best way to stay up to date on project progress and impacts is to sign up for email and text alerts. Go to CDOT’s website at www.coloradodot.info and click on the green cell phone icon in the upper right hand corner of the page. Enter your information and choose “SH 14 Over Poudre River” under the “Projects” list.

Visit the project website at http://www.coloradodot.info/projects/SH14PoudreRiver for more information including the latest Poudre River Trail closures and detours.

If you have questions or concerns, please leave a message on the project information line at 970-889-6950  or send an email to: [email protected].