Crews mobilize to third site - US 550 south of Ouray - for retaining wall/highway repair project

July 23, 2020 - Southwestern Colorado

MONTEZUMA, DOLORES, OURAY COUNTIES -The Colorado Department of Transportation and contractor Oldcastle SW Group, Inc., will mobilize crews to the third and final site next week, as the project to repair and reconstruct highway retaining walls, roadway surfaces and guardrail progresses on track.

On Monday, July 27, work begins on US Highway 550 at mile point 90, just two miles south of Ouray. Work items and the final anticipated schedule for the final site include:

US 550 South of Ouray (MP 90):  Late July into October 2020

  • For two days, while crews mobillize, motorists will encounter travel impacts on Monday and Tuesday, July 27-28, from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.

  • Beginning Wednesday, July 29, a concrete barrier will be in place, and daytime single-lane traffic will be controlled by flaggers; nighttime traffic will be controlled by a temporary traffic signal

  • For the entire duration of the project, motorists will encounter single-lane, alternating travel and a 10-foot width restriction, 24/7

  • 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 a new inlet and drainage culvert

For the past three months crews have been performing work at sites on CO Highway 145. Work was completed last week. 

  • CO Highway 145 North of Rico (MP 49.5):  COMPLETE!

    • Work involved 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; highway surface repair; guardrail replacement

  • CO 145 North of Dolores (MP 24.5):  COMPLETE!

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

The project, which began April 20th, was contracted to Oldcastle SW Group for $1.5 million.

PROJECT UPDATES  Please see weekly lane closure updates for this and other CDOT projects at cotrip.org/map.htm#/roadWork. Please avoid distractions as you travel through the work areas and go “Slow for the Cone Zone!”

QUESTIONS  Contact the project team at (970) 519-1759 or co145us550repairs@gmail.com. The project web site is https://www.codot.gov/projects/co145-us550-patchwallrepair.

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

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○   Speed Map

○   Travel Alerts

○   Weather Stations

COVID-19  

Safe transportation infrastructure is essential for all of us, particularly for emergency first responders and freight drivers as Colorado navigates the COVID-19 pandemic. With that in mind, CDOT maintenance and construction crews  follow social distancing and other health safety measures to reduce COVID-19 exposure on the worksite. The Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment announced guidelines for construction activities. The public is urged to join the campaign for #DoingMyPartCO by practicing social distancing and wearing face masks.  As traffic returns to normal levels, motorists must drive cautiously and heed the speed limit so all of us can return home 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. Governor Jared Polis has charged CDOT to further build on the state’s multimodal mobility options.