US 34 traffic east of Greeley to shift onto new bridge today

Both eastbound and westbound lanes will be placed in a temporary alignment, on the south side of the highway, while crews complete construction of the north side.

One lane in each direction of highway will be maintained during construction. Both eastbound and westbound US 34 traffic will continue to be subject to flagger control and occasional one-lane alternating traffic control until the project is substantially complete in December 2015. All work is weather permitting.

Although the bridge is not over an active watercourse, heavy rains in May 2015 again demonstrated that this area is subject to flooding when high water inundated the work area and slowed the project’s progress. Together, the bridge and new box culvert west of the US 34 / US 34 Business intersection, provide needed drainage improvements for this important transportation corridor.

Background:

Damage Overview - US 34 east of Greeley sustained substantial damage between mile points 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.

Project Overview - 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.

Stay Informed:

Visit the project website at http://www.codot.gov/projects/floodrelatedprojects/us-34-east for more information. The best way to stay up to date on project progress and impacts is to sign up for email alerts. Go to CDOT’s website at www.codot.gov and click on the envelope icon in the lower right hand corner of the page. Enter your information and choose “US 34 Flood Repairs” under the “Colorado Flooding” list.

If you have questions or concerns, call project information line or send an email to the project email address below.

Project Information Line: 970-815-0901

Email: [email protected]