US 34 Big Thompson Canyon Overnight Closures Set for June 4 & 11

LARIMER COUNTY—As improvements continue in the Big Thompson Canyon, the US 34 project team is working to replace four resident access bridges this summer.

Next week, two of the bridges will begin to take shape, when the contractor, Kiewit, begins installing the girders. This work will require a handful of overnight shut downs to safely place the large steel beams.

• 9 p.m. Monday, June 4 – 6 a.m. Tuesday, June 5:
  US 34 will be closed at Moodie Street for the Moodie Bridge girder set. There will be no through traffic on US 34.
• 9 p.m. Monday, June 11 – 6 a.m. Tuesday, June 12:
  US 34 will be closed at Idlewild Lane for the Idlewild Bridge girder set. There will be no through-traffic on US 34.

Anyone looking to travel through the Big Thompson canyon between Estes Park and Loveland during these times is asked to use the US Highway 36 detour (US Highway 287 to Colorado Highway 66 to US 36).

Only a few additional overnight closures will be required for the bridge construction. Project construction project will continue in the canyon this summer and throughout the fall. Drivers could encounter up to 20-minute delays this summer for paving, which will only take place at night and not during weekends.

Project Info

US 34 Big Thompson Canyon's roads and bridges were heavily damaged during the 2013 floods, with many homes damaged and over 100 airlifted 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.