Flood Repairs Underway on CO 55 and the South Platte River

LOGAN COUNTY –Crews this week began repairing a stretch of Colorado Highway 55 over the South Platte River in Logan County.

The project encompasses clearing and stabilizing a large area of river bank adjacent to the South Platte River, west of CO 55, to construct clean water diversion and a permanent retaining wall. The South Platte River crosses CO 55 one mile south of Crook.

This is federally funded repair project is designed to prevent future erosion to the CO 55 roadway embankment, which was damaged by by flooding in 2015. Environmental protection is a primary consideration, and project engineers and crews will apply best practices during the project's clearing and stabilization phases to ensure minimal disturbance to wetlands, vegetation, and endangered species unique to the area.

CDOT is working closely with Colorado Parks and Wildlife to achieve these ends and will provide regular updates of this project's milestones and activity throughout its duration.  

Specific measures to be taken by CDOT and contractor Hamilton Construction include:

• ensuring all mulch, seed, sod, plants, shrubs and other biological material will be free of noxious weeds to minimize their propagation;

• staking and delineating all wetland and animal habitat areas;

• protecting trees, shrubs and highly erodible soil; and

• preserving any historical sites and markers.

CDOT also has stringent spill prevention, soil erosion, pollution, and clean equipment controls in place to comply with all federal environmental standards.

Travel Impacts

CDOT does not foresee any major impact to travel along CO 55 for the duration of the project. However, unforeseeable weather conditions could necessitate rerouting of traffic off the bridge and near the subject area.

Crews will place traffic-control construction signs at key locations for travelers.