US 34 Big Thompson Canyon closure open house meetings will be Monday and Wednesday

September 7, 2017 - Northeastern Colorado/CDOT Region 4 - Permit process, resident access plans among topics of discussion

LARIMER COUNTY – Open house meetings next week will focus on the remaining work to be completed on US 34 between Estes Park and Loveland to make this highway more flood resistant and how traffic and access will be managed while this work is done. These meetings are set for:

  • Monday, Sept. 11, from 5 to 8 p.m. at Estes Park High School (1600 Manford Ave, Estes Park, CO 80517)
  • Wednesday, Sept. 13, from 5 to 8 p.m. at Namaqua Elementary School (209 Namaqua Road, Loveland, CO 80537)

The Big Thompson Canyon is set to close to through-traffic on Monday, Oct. 2, and remain closed until late May 2018. This closure will be different than last year in that there will be considerably more construction work zones spread out over approximately a 12-mile stretch of US 34 from just east of Mall Road on the west end of the canyon to the Dam Store on the east end of the canyon. Managing access for the residents who live in these work zones will be discussed at each meeting.

Community members are invited to come and go at their convenience anytime during the three-hour meetings. At each meeting, representatives with the Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT) and Kiewit Infrastructure Co. will share information about the work to be performed and be available to address access plans for canyon residents in each area.  Canyon residents will be able to obtain permits for travel during specified time frames each day. These meetings will not include a formal presentation.

Meeting materials will be posted to us34canyon.codot.gov for anyone unable to attend either meeting.

PROJECT BACKGROUND: US 34 Big Thompson Canyon’s roads and bridges were heavily damaged during the 2013 floods with many homes damaged and over 100 air lifted evacuations. The canyon and its residents also suffered from flooding in 1976. As a result of these two events, CDOT studied the hydraulic flow of the river in the canyon and its impact on the road and bridges along its path while looking for safety improvements and resiliency solutions to prevent/protect against future flood events.  
CDOT PROJECT INFORMATION:  For updates to this project, the public may call (970) 667-1005 or visit us34canyon.codot.gov. To sign up for “CDOT Alerts” on projects in your chosen area, visit CDOT’s website at www.codot.gov and choose the envelope icon at the bottom of the page. Or, to see CDOT’s lane closure reports for projects statewide, visit www.codot.gov/travel/scheduled-lane-closures.html. Major CDOT project updates are also available via CoTrip.org, Twitter @coloradodot or Facebook.