US 34 East permanent flood repair work continues through the winter
A fairly mild winter has allowed crews to realign the temporary road around the “big hole” left by the September 2013 flood event, remove damaged roadway and begin bridge foundation work.
Crews have started demolishing the former Action Pursuit Paintball building. The entire building will be dismantled and removed from the site in order to accommodate the new road alignment. All salvageable contents have been removed from inside the building. Components of the structure will be repurposed by a local company at a different location.
Over the next few months, motorists will see concentrated activity near the future bridge site as work on the bridge substructure and roadway approaches continue. Crews have also begun to clear and prepare land west of US 34 Business for the permanent realignment of the US 34 / US 34 Business intersection earlier than originally anticipated. The Flatiron-led contractor team identified clear schedule and construction phasing benefits associated with completing the US 34 / US 34 Business intersection improvements earlier in the reconstruction effort.
Crews will work through winter to expedite construction. Weather permitting, project completion is anticipated in summer 2015. By utilizing the newly realigned temporary road around the work zone, traffic conditions will stay similar to how they are today for the duration of the project. Infrequent lane closures may be necessary during off-peak hours.
This $22 million project will construct a new bridge where US 34 washed out. The project also includes installing a box culvert under the roadway and upgrading design elements to current CDOT standards. The horizontal alignment (i.e., curvature) of US 34 will be flattened to meet the requirements of a higher design speed.
Background:
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.
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 https://www.codot.gov/
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]
