Permanent Flood Repairs to SH72 in Boulder County start Monday
BOULDER COUNTY – The Colorado Department of Transportation will begin on Monday a $7 million project along State Highway 72 between Lyons and Nederland in Boulder County to repair damages from the 2013 floods and resurface the road. Motorists can expect the roadway to be resurfaced and restriped by the end of October 2016.
During the duration of the project, crews will work to minimize any traffic impacts during construction. Work will occur between 7 a.m. and 7 p.m. Monday through Friday. Lane closures and lane shifts may occur throughout the course of the project as necessary.
The speed limit will be reduced to 40 mph through the work zone at all times for the duration of the project.
This section of SH72 provides access from the west side of the Denver metro area through Coal Creek Canyon to Nederland. There are a number of private residences and businesses located throughout the canyon directly off the highway.
During the flood of 2013, intense rain in the mountainous terrain of the Coal Creek watershed carried large amounts of debris and sediment which inundated the creek, the highway’s roadside ditches, and drainage structures. The creek’s high flows eroded the highway embankments in several places, undermining and washing out the roadway itself. Additionally, the large amount of debris blocked drainage structures which caused overtopping floodwaters to damage pavement, ditches, and embankments.
Emergency repairs were widespread along the corridor and consisted of large scale debris removal, repairing and/or replacing damaged drainage structures, excavation and filling of damaged embankments, and removing and replacing asphalt sections.
Permanent repairs will include removing and replacing materials placed during emergency repairs, culvert repairs, roadway repairs, slope stabilization, channel restoration, and reestablishing native grass seed and erosion control to slopes that were disturbed during the emergency work.
CDOT PROJECT INFORMATION: For updates to this project, go to https://www.codot.gov/
