The Colorado Dept. of Transportation has officially kicked off the 2012 construction season in the northeast section of the state. Altogether, more than 150 miles of highway will be under construction, with costs totaling more than $110 million in Boulder, Larimer, Logan, Morgan, Phillips, Sedgwick, Washington, Weld and Yuma counties.
“It’s going to be a busy summer in our region of the state,” said CDOT Regional Director Johnny Olson. “We have a wide variety of projects that will be under way, including an interchange reconstruction at the intersection of two major highways, bridge replacements in multiple counties, much-needed resurfacings, cable-rail installations to help prevent crossover accidents and even a slip repair on Cameron Pass.”
Ongoing Projects
Here is a list of construction projects that are currently under way:
• I-25/State Highway 392 Interchange (near Windsor and Fort Collins): CDOT is coordinating with Windsor and Fort Collins on a $17.5-million project to replace the S.H. 392 bridge over I-25 with one that is wider to accommodate two lanes in each direction as well as a left-turn lane in each direction. A new six-ft-wide bike lane and a 6.5-ft-wide sidewalk will be added to each side of the bridge, the frontage road on the west side of the interchange will be realigned, and the ramps will be re-designed to accommodate more traffic. An expanded 90-space carpool/vanpool lot will be constructed in the southwest corner of the interchange. This project is scheduled for completion in spring 2013.
• I-76 Brush to Atwood Resurfacing: This project resurfaces I-76 in the westbound lanes only and adds guardrails and bridge rails between mile marker (MM) 95 and MM 111. It has a budget of $6.2 million from the Funding Advancements for Surface Transportation and Economic Recovery (FASTER) Act, which is dedicated to improving safety and replacing poor bridges. It is scheduled for completion in July.
• S.H. 7/Cherryvale Project: This improves the safety and operation of S.H. 7 from Cherryvale Road to 75th Street (roughly two miles) in Boulder, adds new features for pedestrians and widens structures for the railroad bridge near 75th Street. The $18-million project began on January 3 and is expected to be complete in summer 2014.
• S.H. 14/Cameron Pass Slide Repairs: This project will stabilize the slope next to the roadway after it began to slip. Work includes earthwork, erosion and drainage control, installation of fill (foam blocks), and asphalt paving, with a budget of $2.5 million. It began last August and scheduled for completion this August.
• U.S. 6 Sterling Overpass Sidewalks Repair: This project will replace the sidewalk on the south side of the Sterling viaduct at MM 404 and add pedestrian railings because the existing ones have worn out. The $673,000 project is funded through FASTER; it began in April and will finish in August.
• U.S. 34/Mall Road Intersection in Estes Park: This safety-improvement project will add a left-hand turn lane from westbound U.S. 34 to Mall Road, an acceleration lane from Mall Road to westbound U.S. 34, replace existing culverts, re-line an existing culvert and add erosion-control measures. Funded for $464,000 through FASTER, the project will finish in June.
• U.S. 85 Cable Rail Between Brighton and Fort Lupton: From MM 236 to MM 241, cable rail is being installed in the highway median to help prevent crossover accidents. Additionally, guardrails are being installed throughout the project. This $1.9-million project, funded through FASTER, is expected to finish in June.
