Pedestrians and bicyclists detoured off Mulberry bridge area starting Feb. 16; night closure for westbound Mulberry Street on Tuesday, Feb. 24
This restriction is necessary as crews prepare to remove and relocate the existing two-span pedestrian bridge adjacent to the south side of the highway. The pedestrian bridge must be removed to accommodate Phase 2 of the Mulberry Street bridge replacement project. When complete, the new Mulberry bridge will provide on-street bike lanes and eight-foot wide sidewalks on both the north and south sides of the bridge.
Starting on Monday, a signed detour for Mulberry Street pedestrians and cyclists will be provided. The detour route utilizes Lemay Avenue and Riverside Avenue to bypass the work zone on the south. The Poudre River Trail is open during construction and is also an alternative route north of the work zone. Pedestrians and cyclists will continue to have north/south access across Mulberry Street via the traffic signal at Lemay Avenue. Visit www.codot.gov/projects/
On Tuesday, Feb. 24, westbound Mulberry Street between Lemay Avenue and Riverside Avenue will be closed to all vehicle traffic from 8 p.m. – 5:30 a.m. to allow crews to remove and relocate the pedestrian bridge overnight, weather permitting. At the same time, the right lane and bike lane of northbound Lemay Avenue south of Mulberry Street will also be closed. Westbound Mulberry Street traffic will be detoured at 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. Crews expect to have westbound Mulberry Street open back open by 5:30 a.m. - in time for the morning commute.
By performing this work overnight, crews can expedite work within a secure and larger construction 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.
The City of Fort Collins will reuse both of the removed pedestrian bridge spans at other locations. One of the spans will be repurposed on the east side of Lemay Avenue to complete a new Poudre Trail connection currently under construction. For more information on the City’s Poudre River Pedestrian Bridge project visit http://www.fcgov.com/
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.
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. Since September 2014, the Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT) and Flatiron Constructors, Inc. have been in Phase 1 of a full bridge replacement project on State Highway (SH) 14 (Mulberry Street) over the Cache la Poudre River in the City of Fort Collins. The project has two distinct phases. Phase 1 constructs the north side of the bridge. At the completion of Phase 1, westbound Mulberry Street traffic will move onto the new bridge. Phase 2 will then construct the south side of the bridge.
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.
Visit the project website at http://www.coloradodot.info/
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].
