I-25 Over Santa Fe Drive Widening Nears Completion

February 19, 2016 - Southwestern Colorado/CDOT Region 2 - Pueblo, CO – Crews began the process of widening I-25 over Santa Fe Drive (US 50C) in August 2015 as part of the Ilex Design-Build project. Work is nearing completion for this segment of the project.

An existing gap was closed using steel girders, which provide the main horizontal support for the bridge, resulting in wider shoulders.

“When the Interstate was built in 1959, the bridges weren’t required to be as wide as they are today,” said Scott Dalton, CDOT project manager for the Ilex Design-Build project. “So these openings, often called elephant traps, were left between the bridges.”

For minimal traffic impacts, the project team of eight to 10 workers spent two nights placing eight steel girders, each weighing over 10,000 pounds. Work to complete the bridge includes installation of metal deck pans and reinforcing steel, concrete pourings, and then placement of a waterproofing membrane and hot mix asphalt on top. Final work will also include installing guard rails and striping the road.

This work was similar to the process used in October 2015 to widen the I-25 bridge over City Center Drive. However, concrete girders were placed on that structure.

“There’s a great sense of accomplishment for the crews who have worked on widening the bridges, knowing that they are nearing the completion of the structures they are building and making a safer roadway for the travelling public,” Dalton said.

These bridges are the first ones to be worked on for the Ilex Design-Build project. Other bridge work will include: replacing four more bridges, including I-25 bridges over Phelps Creek Trail and D Street, over Gruma Drive, and over the Union Pacific railroad tracks. The following bridges will be rehabilitated: the US 50 Business bridge over the Arkansas River, Northern Avenue and Mesa Avenue bridges over I-25, and bridges on I-25, including northbound over Santa Fe Avenue (US 50C) and over Indiana Avenue.

The Ilex Design-Build project completion is scheduled for fall 2017.

For updated project information, please visit: codot.gov/projects/ilexbridges, email: [email protected] or phone: 719-470-2270.

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