CDOT to repair roadway damage, retaining walls, and guardrails on three sections of CO 145 & U.S. 550

News Release

April 13, 2020 - Southwestern Colorado

MONTEZUMA, DOLORES, OURAY COUNTIES -The Colorado Department of Transportation and contractor Oldcastle SW Group, Inc., will begin a project on Mon., April 20 to repair and perform safety improvements on two highways in Dolores, Montezuma and Ouray counties. The work will improve the structural integrity of the highways with the repairs and reconstruction of retaining systems at the roadways’ shoulder edges. 

The work zones, work items and anticipated schedules include: 

April 20 through late June, 2020*

  • Colorado Highway 145, mile point (MP) 24.5, about 12 miles north of Dolores in Montezuma County (10-foot width restriction will be in place at this location)

    • Work involves a ‘deep patch’ repair of the roadway and installation of a new rock buttress that provides slope stability underneath the roadway; guardrail replacement

Late June through late August, 2020

  • CO 145, MP 49, about three miles north of Rico in Dolores County

    • Work involves removing the existing retaining wall material below the edge of the roadway; installing micro-piling and concrete pile caps with new back-fill material to secure the slope; follow-up highway surface repair; guardrail replacement

Late August through late October, 2020

  • U.S. Highway 550, MP 90, two miles south of Ouray in Ouray County (10-foot width restriction will be in place at this location)

    • Work involves retaining wall removal and replacement of two failing roadway sections with a crib wall system; follow-up highway surface repair and installation of new inlet and drainage culvert

*Dates provided are estimates only and may change due to weather and/or progress.

TRAVEL IMPACTS 

Through the project’s duration, from April 20 to late October 2020, motorists can expect:

  • CO 145 MP 24.5 - Single-lane, alternating travel, controlled by temporary traffic signal, 24/7

  • CO 145 MP 49 - Single-lane, alternating travel, Monday through Friday, during daylight hours 

  • U.S. 550 MP 90 - Single-lane, alternating travel, controlled by temporary traffic signal, 24/7

A 10-foot width restriction will be in place at the locations on CO 145 at MP 24.5 and on U.S. 550 at MP 90. Please avoid distractions as you travel through the work areas and go “Slow for the Cone Zone!”

Suspension of Work - To accommodate increased visitor traffic, work will be suspended during these holiday and festival weekends: May 22-25 for the Memorial Day holiday weekend; June 16 during Ride the Rockies; June 18-21 for the Telluride Bluegrass Festival; July 3-6 for the Independence Day holiday weekend.

PROJECT INFO 

For information about this project contact the project team.  

Information about other projects and road conditions can be found at:  

 

COVID-19 

Safe transportation infrastructure is essential for emergency first responders and freight drivers as Colorado navigates the COVID-19 pandemic. With that in mind, construction continues on CDOT projects with social distancing and other measures to reduce COVID-19 exposure on the worksite. The Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment announced guidelines for construction activities. Gov. Polis issued an emergency, temporary stay-at-home order for all of Colorado, which went into effect Thursday, March 26. With this order, the public is urged to join the campaign for #DoingMyPartCO and avoid all nonessential travel. With fewer vehicles on the roads, CDOT crews will be able to work more efficiently and safely.

WHOLE SYSTEM. WHOLE SAFETY.

In early 2019, CDOT announced its Whole System — Whole Safety initiative to heighten safety awareness. This initiative takes a systematic statewide approach to safety combining the benefits of CDOT’s programs that address driving behaviors, our built environment and the organization's operations. The goal is to improve the safety of Colorado’s transportation network by reducing the rate and severity of crashes and improving the safety of all transportation modes. The program has one simple mission—to get everyone home safely.

ABOUT CDOT

CDOT has approximately 3,000 employees located throughout Colorado, and manages more than 23,000 lane miles of highway and 3,429 bridges. CDOT also manages grant partnerships with a range of other agencies, including metropolitan planning organizations, local governments and airports. It also administers Bustang, the state-owned and operated inter-regional express service. Gov. Polis has charged CDOT to further build on the state’s multimodal mobility options.