Work on US 34 east of Greeley starts soon; public meeting Oct. 14

September 30, 2014 - Northeastern Colorado/CDOT Region 4 - When last September’s storms washed out a large section of US 34 east of Greeley, it became clear that a better, long-term solution was needed to ensure the road could withstand a similar major flooding event in the future.

The Colorado Department of Transportation built a temporary road around the area that was blown out by the flood. Construction will begin soon on a $22 million permanent fix to the road that will include a new bridge. Flatiron Constructors Inc. of Firestone was selected as the contractor for the project.

A public meeting on the project is planned for 6-8 p.m. on Oct. 14 at the Kersey Fire Station Community Room, 27128 County Road 53. CDOT and Flatiron officials will be on-hand to answer questions about the project. A brief presentation will be conducted at 6:45 p.m.

Work on the permanent replacement will continue through the winter and should be completed by mid-summer of 2015. Impacts to traffic will be minimal as traffic will continue to use the temporary road while the new bridge and road are being built. Speeds in the immediate area will continue to be reduced to 45 mph.

The project also includes installing a box culvert under the roadway to provide for improved drainage. Part of the roadway design analysis includes reviewing the hydraulic conditions in the area to ensure the roadway design can accommodate new flows provided by future levy repairs. CDOT is also working with Weld County and FEMA regarding the floodplain and how to minimize impacts to downstream landowners.

Engineering the roads better than they were before is at the heart of all of the permanent construction planned by CDOT in the wake of the 2013 flood.

Damage Overview

US 34 (bypass) Southeast of Greeley, Colorado, sustained substantial damage between mile markers 114 and 116. Flood waters upstream of the highway exceeded the banks of the main channel of the South Platte River and were directed northeast toward the damaged section where they overtopped the highway. As a result of the water flooding over the roadway, an entire section of the roadway washed out east of the highway’s intersection with US 34 (Business) and portions of the westbound lanes were undermined east and west of the intersection. Additionally, sediment and debris were deposited throughout this area.  The highway was closed for a period of 17 days before emergency repairs could be made to re-establish transportation routes.

EMERGENCY (TEMPORARY) REPAIRS

Temporary repairs were completed and the highway was reopened to limited traffic in both directions on October 1, 2013.  Work involved removal of sediment and debris from roadways and ditches, repair and installation of reinforced concrete pipes, scour hole repair, repaving of the roadway and re-establishment of the embankments. At milepost 115.4 a temporary detour was constructed to route the traffic around the damaged portion of roadway.

Stay Informed

The best way to stay up to date on project progress and impacts is to sign up for email and wireless (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 “US 34 Flood Repairs” under the “Colorado Flooding” list.

Visit the project website at http://www.coloradodot.info/projects/floodrelatedprojects/us-34-east for more information.

If you have questions or concerns, please leave a message on the project information line or send an email to the project email address below.

Project Information Line: 970-815-0901
Email: [email protected]