Work to begin next week On I-70 Bridge Rehabilitation projects
DEER TRAIL – Next week will begin the start of some changes on I-70 between Deer Trail and Agate, as the Colorado Department of Transportation begins work on the overpasses that sit above the interstate near the two towns.
A public open house will be from 7 - 8 p.m. on Monday, August 3, at the Deer Trail Town Hall, 555 2nd Ave. Representatives from CDOT and the construction company on the project, Structures, will be on-hand to answer questions about the project.
The work will include rehabilitation of eight bridge structures starting at MP 329, just south of Deer Trail, and extending approximately 12 miles to the east to MP 341, south of Agate. As part of this structural rehabilitation hydro-demolition, concrete milling, and concrete overlay activities will be completed.
Initial lane closures will begin on July 27, as surveying operations and median detour construction begin. This will create one lane closures on both the east side and west side of the highway for a few weeks.
After this process is completed, bridge work will start over the westbound lanes of I-70, approximately from Aug. 14 through Oct. 15. During this time, there will be two-way head-to-head traffic in the eastbound lanes between MP 329 to MP 337, which sits just east of Lowland. The rest area located near Deer Trail will be closed during this time.
Additionally, bridge work will occur just east of this detour situation at MP 339.7, just west of Agate. Eastbound and westbound traffic in this area will be confined to one-lane while deck repairs occur in the adjacent closed lane and shoulder. This activity will occur between Aug. 31 and Oct. 31.
After completion of this first phase of work, construction operations will shut down from December 1, 2015, through April 1, 2016, for the winter season. During this time the traffic will move back to its normal configuration.
The second phase of this project will occur from April 1, 2016, to June 15, 2016, as the eastbound lanes will be shut down from MP 329 to MP 337 to begin work on the eastbound side of I-70. Because of this, traffic will be in a two-way head-to-head situation in the westbound lanes. The Deer Trail Rest Area will also be closed during this time.
During construction, the adjacent old Highway 40 will be restricted to allow a maximum of 12-foot wide vehicles. The maximum speed will be 55 mph through the construction work zone.
Plans are for all work to be completed during daylight hours, from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. Information on the project can be found on the project website: https://www.codot.gov/
Background:
This set of eight bridge were built at various times throughout the late 1950s and early 1960s. All structures were modified to meet modern bridge rail requirements in 1994 but have not received full rehabilitation since their initial construction.
This $3.9 million rehabilitation project will bring much need structural rehabilitation which will extensively lengthen the life of these bridges. An innovative polyester concrete overlay will be used to preserve the bridge deck work for a longer duration than that of a normal overlay.
