One lane of Mulberry Street closed Wednesday for bridge deck concrete placement

June 15, 2015 - Northeastern Colorado/CDOT Region 4 - FORT COLLINS – On Wednesday, June 17, a single-lane closure will be required on Mulberry Street between Lemay Avenue and Riverside Avenue.

The lane closure will be in place from 5 a.m. to 5 p.m. Some minor delays are expected while crews pour the concrete deck on the new Mulberry Street bridge over the Cache la Poudre River.

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.

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. This project 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. CDOT and Flatiron Constructors, Inc. are currently in Phase 2 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 constructed the north side of the bridge. Phase 2 constructs 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.codot.gov/projects/SH14PoudreRiver for more information including traffic impacts and detours.

If you have questions or concerns, call the project information line at 970-889-6950 or send an email to: [email protected].