Wadsworth Boulevard Over Bear Creek Bridge Replacement

Project Overview

On March 26, 2012, the Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT) will begin a bridge replacement project on Wadsworth Boulevard over Bear Creek, which is located less than a mile north of Hampden Avenue. The original bridge was constructed in 1957 and is in poor condition. The new bridge will be wider to accommodate an additional right turn lane from northbound Wadsworth Boulevard to Amherst Street. In addition, there will be 10-foot sidewalks on each side of the bridge to improve pedestrian and bicycle safety.

Lawrence Construction Co. is the contractor of this $6.5 million project scheduled to be complete by the end of June 2013. The project is being funded by the Colorado Bridge Enterprise, a division within CDOT, that uses a small portion of vehicle registration fees to repair and replace poor bridges on Colorado’s highway  system.

Traffic Impacts During Construction

The Wadsworth Boulevard bridge over Bear Creek will be demolished and replaced in three phases. This will allow crews to keep two lanes open in each direction of Wadsworth Boulevard during peak hours throughout the project; however, Wadsworth Boulevard will be in various temporary alignments and the travel lanes will be reduced to 10 feet. The first traffic realignment will take place in early April to allow crews to begin construction of the eastern portion of the bridge.

In addition to the temporary alignments, single lane closures on Wadsworth Boulevard are possible from approximately 8 p.m. to 5:30 a.m., Sunday through Thursday.

To begin the project, crews will demolish and replace the eastern portion of the Wadsworth Boulevard bridge over Bear Creek. As a result, Amherst Street will be completely closed 24 hours a day, seven days from approximately April 2012 through September 2012. Detour routes will be posted and access to the post office will be maintained from S. Webster Street.

In addition, there will be various closures of the Bear Creek bicycle/pedestrian trail to accommodate work such as bridge demolition, bridge girder installation and concrete deck pours. An established and signed detour route will take trail users to the signalized intersection at Yale Avenue.