US 24 Bridge over Union Pacific Railroad
Overview
The $1.4 million project—funded through the Colorado Bridge Enterprise*—replaced the deficient bridge, which was built in 1937 and, at the time of construction, rated in poor condition. Replacement of the bridge increases safety and offers a new service life of 50-plus years.
The bridge is between Johnson Village and the US 24/US 285 junction. Project work, which started on Monday, March 24, 2014, involved crews building each half of the new structure on either side of the existing bridge. This ensured the existing structure could remain in operation during the majority of the work.
To "slide" the new halves in place, crews demolished one half of the existing bridge at a time, and routed single-lane, alternating traffic onto the new half for each side. The new bridge has wider shoulders and improved guardrails, among other upgraded features.
FASTER
Funding Advancements for Surface Treatment and Economic Recovery (FASTER) (Senate Bill 09-108) generates funding comprised of car rental fees and weight-based vehicle registration fees. FASTER directs money to safety-improvement projects, and also to the Colorado Bridge Enterprise (CBE), a government-owned business entity within CDOT. The Colorado General assembly created the (Colorado Bridge Enterprise to complete bridge projects that involve the financing, repair, reconstruction, and replacement of bridges designated as structurally deficient or functionally obsolete, and rated "poor" by CDOT.
