Temporary Bridge Launched on CO 90 at Bedrock
MONTROSE COUNTY—On Thursday, Dec. 11, the Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT) and contractor Oldcastle Construction successfully launched and set into place a temporary bridge next to the 1952 bridge over the Dolores River on CO 90 in Bedrock. Crews began placing steel bridge deck panels at the end of the day yesterday and will likely complete that work today, along with bridge rail connections.
A bridge inspection early next week will be followed by guardrail installation, bridge rail and final striping. CDOT expects to switch traffic onto the temporary bridge the middle of the week. The temporary bridge will be under signal control, single-lane traffic, with no weight restrictions. The bridge is 160-feet long with a 10-foot travel lane.
Design work for a permanent replacement bridge is underway, though no schedule is available at this time for design completion or bridge construction.
The existing 1952 steel through-truss bridge was damaged and repairs were completed in September; it is currently open to all vehicle traffic less than 36 tons gross weight. With the upcoming traffic switch onto the temporary bridge, CDOT plans to close the old bridge to avoid the possibility of overweight vehicles crossing it, and the possibility of further damage occurring.
CDOT Region 5 (southwest Colorado) had received approval from the State Transportation Commission for construction funding for the detour and temporary bridge installation. Oldcastle Construction was contracted $1.03 million for the work.
CDOT PROJECTS: The best way to stay up-to-date on project progress, traffic impacts and more is to sign up for email and wireless (text) alerts. Go to CDOT's website at www.codot.gov and click on the green cell phone icon in the upper right hand corner of the page. Enter your information and choose the section of the state (southwest) for which you would like to receive information. Also, scheduled lane closures for CDOT projects can be found on our web site at http://www.coloradodot.info/travel/scheduled-lane-closures.html; and finally, any highway closures are also listed on our traveler information site at www.cotrip.org (see Travel Alerts and Road Work Alerts).
