Temporary roundabout in place at 1st Street and Grand Avenue Improvement Project on I-70B

News Release

August 12, 2021 - Northwestern Colorado - Major project in Grand Junction enters next construction phase

MESA COUNTY - The Colorado Department of Transportation and contractor United Companies have completed the first phase of work for the 1st St. and Grand Ave. improvement project in Grand Junction. Crews have constructed a temporary roundabout at the intersection, to allow work to begin on phase two. The temporary roundabout is located near the southwest corner of the intersection and will allow traffic to continue to flow through the intersection work zone as the project continues. The roundabout was constructed overnight on Wednesday, Aug. 11, and can be seen in the image above.

While the temporary roundabout is in place, no oversize or permitted loads are allowed, there is a 40 foot length restriction and an 8’6” width restriction. These are due to the radius of the temporary roundabout design. CDOT asks that freight motorists detour around the work zone, due to size limitations while the temporary roundabout is in place. The preferred alternate route is North Ave. in order to keep CMV and freight traffic on the state highway system. For more information please visit: https://sites.google.com/state.co.us/cotriporgfreight/restrictions-maps. For permitting questions for the City of Grand Junction please visit:https://www.gjcity.org/276/Truck-Permits

In the second phase of the project, work will include: traffic signal replacement, continued construction on the realignment of the intersection, new curb and gutter, sidewalks, ADA ramps and new lighting in the center medians and concrete surface treatments.

Commercial Vehicle Access

Due to the radius of the temporary roundabout design commercial vehicle traffic is limited in passing through the work zone.

Traffic Impacts

  • An extended closure of North 1st St. is in place between I-70B and Chipeta Ave. Access to businesses on North 1st St. will remain open. The preferred alternate route for access to North 1st St. is from North Ave., and a detour will be in place from Gunnison St. to 4th St. back to Grand Ave.

  • I-70 B from Mulberry St. to Main St. will continue as one lane in each direction, 24-hours a day/seven days a week. 

  • Access to businesses in the work zone will remain open. 

  • Alternate routes are advised. 

  • The project team has developed several printable pdf flyers with information about the pedestrian and cyclists preferred alternate route, the North 1st St. detour and information for commercial vehicles. Please see the link below:

https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1m0d67hLJys-RBVkvCBnRlzmrjQAeYitO?usp=sharing


Project info

The project will improve the 5-way intersection, including widening the roadway, consolidating access, improving street connections and constructing improved bike and pedestrian connections. The project area includes the I-70 Business Loop (I-70B) from Mulberry Street to Rood Avenue, and Colorado Highway 340 (Broadway) from Mulberry Street/Rice Street to 2nd Street. The project is scheduled to be completed in May 2022. Once complete the project will improve safety, congestion, and increase multimodal opportunities.

Stay Informed and Connect with the project

Project information is available at: 

About CDOT

CDOT’s Whole System-Whole Safety program has one simple mission — to get everyone home safely. Our approximately 3,000 employees work tirelessly to reduce the rate and severity of crashes and improve the safety of all modes of transportation. The department manages more than 23,000 lane miles of highway, more than 3,000 bridges and 35 mountain passes. CDOT also manages grant partnerships with a range of agencies, including metropolitan planning organizations, local governments and airports. It also operates Bustang, the state-owned interregional express bus service. Gov. Jared Polis has charged CDOT to further build on the state’s intermodal mobility options.