West Vail Pass - Brief Closures Monday & Tuesday Morning

August 5, 2011 - PROJECT UPDATE - Northwestern Colorado/CDOT Region 3 - Westbound travelers will experience full traffic stops on Monday, Aug. 8, and Tuesday, Aug. 9, in the early morning for the installation of overhead sign structures.

EAGLE COUNTY – Crews will begin installing electronic message signs on westbound I-70 at mile post 187.5 on Monday, August 8, as part of the West Vail Pass Safety Improvements project.

Work on the overhead signs will require crews to hold traffic for five minutes on Monday around 9 A.M. A 30 minute hold will occur on Tuesday at 5:30 A.M. These flagger manned traffic holds are in addition to the standard construction traffic control, which is in place Monday through Thursday from 7 A.M. to 7 P.M. and until noon on Fridays.  PLEASE NOTE: while the traffic holds will last for 5 minutes, delays will exceed that time, as traffic queues are cleared.

During construction hours, motorists can expect single-lane closures in both directions. The project goal is to minimize traffic delays to 20 minutes during normal travel conditions. Disabled vehicles, oversized loads and collisions increase congestion—motorists are urged to drive with caution and go Slow for the Cone Zone!

The work on West Vail Pass will continue through September. The project, contracted for $9.5 million, addresses resurfacing, bridge joint repair, barrier/guardrail replacement, drainage improvements and the installation of Intelligent Transportation Systems, such as variable message signs and sensors.

For travel information, contact the project information office at 970-566-6912 or sign up for regular updates at [email protected]GET WIRELESS NOTIFICATIONS: If you would like to receive e-mail and/or wireless notifications for this (and other) CDOT projects, please go to CDOT’s web site at www.coloradodot.info and select the green phone icon in the upper right corner (sign up for the “I-70 West, Denver to Glenwood Springs” list to receive messages on the Vail Pass Project). You may also contact ACC’s public relations officer, Jody Randall, directly at 720-244-7312.

This project is receiving $2.8 million for safety improvement features (guardrail and barrier) from Colorado FASTER. FASTER (Funding Advancements for Surface Treatment and Economic Recovery) was established by the Colorado General assembly via Senate Bill 09-108 (www.coloradodot.info/projects/faster) to fund the repair of Colorado’s structurally deficient bridges and make safety improvements to Colorado’s key corridors.