Michigan River Bridge Replacement Project on Hold for Winter
JACKSON COUNTY – As of tomorrow, Wednesday, November 21, 2012 the Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT) will halt work on the construction of the Michigan River Bridge replacement on State Highway (SH) 125 for the duration of the winter. Located just one mile north of Walden, the Michigan River Bridge was built in 1937 and is structurally deficient.
To date, crews have cleared the work area, installed erosion control devices, drained standing water, completed the box culverts that will replace the bridge and returned the Michigan River flow to its original alignment. The surrounding earth has been excavated, embankment and road base material placed and graded to prepare for next season’s construction.
Beginning in spring 2013, crews will return to the site as soon as weather permits, likely in May or June, and will construct a traffic detour, remove the existing bridge, construct the new roadway over the box culvert, stripe the roadway, install signage, add fencing, remove detours, and revegetate the area. This work will require northbound and southbound detours that will be in place for approximately two months and will direct traffic around the construction site. While thedetours are in place, there will be load restrictions in place for commercial vehicles wider than 10 feet and weighing more than 85,000 pounds. All work is expected to be complete in July 2013.
In the spring, work will continue to take place from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m., Monday through Friday, with potential work taking place at night and on weekends. Speed limits have been reduced to 35 MPH through the work zone and intermittent traffic delays of up to 10 minutes may occur throughout construction to allow equipment to access the work zone. Motorists are reminded to obey all road signs and flaggers, and to drive Slow for the Cone Zone.
Construction of this project was delayed at its start due to environmental concerns regarding the presence of protected animals in the area. Because of the delay, the difficulty of acquiring materials such as asphalt so late in the year, and CDOT’s desire to not have traffic on the detour over the winter due to safety and maintenance concerns, the project is now scheduled for completion in 2013.
American Civil Constructors, Inc. is the contractor for this $1.5 million bridge project that is funded by CDOT and the Federal Highway Administration.
Businesses and residents are encouraged to sign up for periodic updates at[email protected]. This email system will be used to alert recipients to any significant project activities or unscheduled delays. Additional information can be retrieved through theproject information office at 970-409-9548 or by contacting ACC’s public information officer, Jody Randall, directly at 720-244-7312.
To receive real-time updates about road conditions in your area, visitwww.coloradodot.info and click on the green cell phone icon in the upper right hand corner of the page. Updates are also available via Twitter @coloradodot and be sure to “Like” our Facebook page at www.facebook.com/coloradodot.
