South Central Colorado Culvert Repairs

About the Project:

Culvert repair work will take place along four roadways in two south-central Colorado counties: US Highway 160 in Costilla County and US 24, US 285 and US 50 in Chaffee County.

Project work will be implemented in phases between April and August. The first culvert repair project will happen on US 160 at Mile Point 265, about seven miles east of Fort Garland. Crews will then move operations to US 285 at MP 130, three miles north of Poncha Springs. The third phase of the project will happen on US 50 at MP 223, one mile east of Salida. The project team will then move operations to US 285 at MP 136, nine miles north of Poncha Springs. The final phase of the culvert repair project will be on US 24 at MP 202, eight miles north of Buena Vista.

Culverts are required features of roadway infrastructure to pass water under a road at drainage areas or stream crossings. Work will primarily consist of re-grading the culvert inlet to align drainage with the invert of the pipe, removing the existing inlet headwalls, and replacing the culverts with new headwalls, wings, and concrete lining the pipe.

Project Benefits

• The project will make necessary enhancements to accommodate higher
  accumulations of rainfall and lower the risks associated with flooding to
  maintain safe driving conditions.

Work Schedule:

• Work will last approximately five months
• Working hours are 7 a.m. to 7 p.m., Monday through Friday

Traffic Impacts:

Motorists can expect the following impacts during the period of construction:

• Vehicles may occasionally be reduced to a single-lane, alternating traffic intermittently in either direction, throughout the duration of the project
• Any periodic lane closures would be guided by flaggers and could have up to 10 to 15-minute delays
• The speed limit will be reduced to 45 mph through the work zone
• Refer to COtrip.org for real-time travel conditions and road closures