Mulberry Street lane closures tomorrow and next week for paving operations
On Friday, March 20, and intermittently during the week of March 23, a single-lane closure will be required on Mulberry Street between Lemay Avenue and Riverside Avenue.
As needed, the lane closure will be in place from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Friday, March 20 and March 23 - 27. Some minor delays are expected.
The lane closure does not affect eastbound Mulberry Street motorists; the current detour for eastbound Mulberry Street will remain in place through October 2015. All businesses along the detour route and on both sides of the work zone are open and accessible.
By the end of March, CDOT expects to have westbound SH 14 (Mulberry Street) traffic shifted onto the north side of the new bridge. Once westbound traffic is on the new bridge, crews will begin to demolish the remaining half of the original bridge built in 1949. After demolition, crews will complete the south side of the bridge, reconstruct roadway approaches, and improve the portion of the Poudre River Trail that crosses underneath the bridge. The project is scheduled for completion in November 2015.
By the numbers:
Width of the original bridge (circa 1949) – 64 feet
Width of the new bridge once complete – 124 feet (almost twice the width)
Change in bridge elevation (height), measured from the finished surface – approximately 4 feet
Days to demolish second bridge half (estimate) – 7 days
Concrete placed during Phase 1 including the roadway surface – 3000 cubic yards (300 truck loads)
Total project cost - $9.6 million
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 https://www.codot.gov/
If you have questions or concerns, call the project information line at 970-889-6950 or send an email to: [email protected].
