Bridge girder delivery will require overnight closures of westbound Mulberry Street next week
The girders, which are part of the bridge superstructure, will be delivered to the work zone beginning each afternoon and overnight for five nights. Each girder will be lifted and set in place by crane. Crews have identified that a full road closure of E. Mulberry Street for five nights is the least impactful scenario for regional and local travel.
By performing this work overnight, crews can expedite delivery and placement within a secure and larger work zone. The safety of the crews and motorists is extremely important. It is necessary to minimize potential conflicts between a safety-critical construction operation and the public.
Girder lengths range from approximately 60 to 80 feet long. A total of 40 girders will be set for phase 1 bridge work, which is underway on the north side of highway.
During the closures, westbound Mulberry Street traffic will be detoured at S. Lemay Avenue to bypass the road closure. Two signed detours will be provided: Trucks will use northbound Lemay Avenue to westbound Lincoln Avenue to southbound Riverside Avenue; all other vehicles will use southbound Lemay Avenue to northbound Riverside Avenue.
Eastbound Mulberry Street traffic will remain unaffected by this road closure. The eastbound detour has been in place for three months.
Background:
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 provide sidewalks for pedestrians. CDOT will also construct new retaining walls and storm sewer, an improved 10-foot wide path under the east side of the bridge, as well as reconstruct the east access to the Waste Water Treatment plant.
This project will be coordinated with a separate project that will relocate the pedestrian/trail bridge from the project site. Unfortunately, many of Colorado's bridges are in disrepair or poor condition (more than 120 across the state), many of which are used every day. Replacing this bridge will not only create a safer ride for motorists, but also create a more efficient transportation system to support economic and job growth in the area.
The total cost of the construction project is approximately $9.6 million. Funds will be part of the Colorado Bridge Enterprise (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 active construction zone is between Riverside Avenue and South Lemay Avenue. This 0.3 mile stretch of State Highway 14 is used by approximately 25,000 vehicles per day.
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].
