FasTracks West Corridor to roll out signature bridge across 6th Avenue
Innovative construction technique saves months of traffic impacts

Lakewood, April 16, 2010 – The RTD FasTracks West Corridor team will roll out the main span of a double-track light rail bridge across 6th Avenue just east of Simms/Union the weekend of April 23rd through April 25th. All lanes of 6th Avenue between Simms/Union and Kipling Street will close at 8:00 p.m. on Friday, April 23rd to prepare the area for the roll-out, scheduled to begin early Saturday morning. 6th Avenue and the frontage road will re-open by 5:30 a.m. Monday, April 26th.

For the past several months, crews have been assembling the steel tied arch structure along the south side of the highway. Now, crews will transport the bridge into its final position over the highway via a large dolly consisting of two 35’ platforms with eight axles each. The arch will travel on guided rollers which are pushed by hydraulic rams capable of up to 270,000 pounds per square inch of force. At speeds ranging from 10 to 25 feet per hour, the actual roll-out is expected to take up to 30 hours for the bridge to connect with the north span already in place across the north 6th Avenue Frontage Road.

Had the structure been built over 6th Avenue, traveling motorists would have endured months of lane closures and traffic congestion. This approach to bridge construction enabled West Corridor crews to work in a safe environment outside of traffic and significantly minimize impacts to commuters using the 6th Avenue freeway.

“If the bridge had been constructed in place over the highway, we would have had to impact traffic on 6th Avenue many times over the course of construction instead of just one weekend as we are doing,” said Jim Starling, RTD’s West Corridor Project Manager. “This is a much more efficient process that minimizes inconvenience to the traveling public.”

The 12.1-mile West Corridor light rail project is the first rail line of RTD’s FasTracks program to start construction. The West Corridor line will operate between Denver Union Station in downtown Denver and the Jefferson County Government Center in Golden; serving Denver, Lakewood, the Denver Federal Center, Golden and Jefferson County. The corridor is scheduled to open to the public in 2013.

FasTracks is RTD’s voter-approved transit program to expand rail and bus service throughout the RTD service area. FasTracks will build 122 miles of commuter rail and light rail, 18 miles of bus rapid transit service, add 21,000 new parking spaces, redevelop Denver Union Station and redirect bus service to better connect the eight-county District. The FasTracks investment initiative is projected to create more than 10,000 jobs during the height of construction, and will pump billions of dollars into the regional economy.

Click here to see CDOT’s planned lane closures in northeast Colorado.

Click here to see CDOT’s planned lane closures in southeast Colorado.

Click here to see CDOT’s planned lane closures in western Colorado.

VMT Fee Should Replace Gas Tax, ULI Report Suggests

Congress should consider initiating a vehicle miles traveled fee to replace the gasoline tax currently funding federal highway and transit programs, an infrastructure report issued by the Urban Land Institute and Ernst & Young recommends. The report also calls for boosting transportation investment through other sources.

This report is the fourth in an annual series. (Inside Lane note: Read and download the report here.) It focuses on the pressing need for long-term and integrated investments in transportation and other infrastructure.

“Investing in infrastructure — done well and strategically — can help ensure increasing prosperity and the rising standards of living that Americans have come to expect,” the report contends. “Many countries around the world — China, India, and those in Europe — understand the infrastructure investment imperative and are working to build the transportation, water, and energy systems that will grow their economies for future generations.”

There have been a few hopeful steps towards an adequately funded transportation system nationwide, the report notes. It highlights several transportation and finance programs in the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act such as those for high-speed rail, discretionary multimodal grants, and Build America Bonds.

The document includes examples of a few transportation-oriented public/private partnerships currently underway in the United States, and notes how these can offer “guideposts” for similar efforts elsewhere. These examples include the Florida Department of Transportation’s agreements for constructing a $2 billion tolled expressway expansion along Interstate 595 and a $1 billion tunnel for the Port of Miami, and the collaboration between the Texas Department of Transportation and a private operator for building High Occupancy/Toll lanes as part of a $4 billion widening and upgrade for Interstate 635.

One means of further encouraging those partnerships, the report suggests, is a national infrastructure bank based on Europe’s model for financing and attracting private capital. “A federal infrastructure bank could help establish procurement protocols and standards, facilitating the bidding process,” the report states.

The 102-page report, “Infrastructure 2010: An Investment Imperative,” is available at the Urban Land Institute website.

Bridge Demolition to Close I-25 Near 104TH Avenue Next Week

ADAMS COUNTY – The Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT) recently completed the center portion of the new 104th Avenue bridge over I-25. With two thirds of the new bridge complete, crews will be realigning eastbound 104th Avenue onto the new bridge this week and demolishing the final third of the existing bridge.

“We have now completed two thirds of the new structure and will be removing all traffic from the old bridge this week,” said CDOT Program Engineer John Schwab. “With traffic realigned to the new structure, we can demolish and replace the southern portion of the bridge.”

As a result of the upcoming bridge demolition, there will be various lane closures on 104th Avenue as well as I-25 next week. The following closures will take place Sunday, April 18th through Thursday, April 22nd, weather permitting:
• Sunday, April 18th: All left turn movements from northbound and southbound I-25 to 104th Avenue and from eastbound and westbound 104th Avenue to I-25 will be prohibited from 12 a.m. until 5 p.m. on Sunday for paving.
• Monday, April 19th: A single lane of southbound I-25 at 104th Avenue will be closed at 7 p.m. followed by a full closure from 9 p.m. to 1 a.m. In addition, all lanes of northbound I-25 at 104th Avenue will be closed from 1 a.m. to 5:30 a.m. on Tuesday morning. Crews will be removing a fence on the 104th Avenue bridge over I-25. Detour: Motorists will be detoured via the on and off ramps at 104th Avenue. Uniformed traffic control will be used to direct motorists through the interchange.
• Tuesday, April 20th: The left lane and left turn lane to I-25 will be closed on eastbound and westbound 104th Avenue from 8:30 p.m. to 5:30 a.m. to allow crews to realign eastbound 104th Avenue onto the new bridge.
• Wednesday, April 21st and Thursday, April 22nd: One lane of northbound and southbound I-25 at 104th Avenue will be closed at 7 p.m. with all lanes closing at 9 p.m. for bridge demolition. All lanes will reopen by 5:30 a.m. the following day. Detour: Motorists will be detoured via the on and off ramps at 104th Avenue. Uniformed traffic control will be used to direct motorists through the interchange.

Major delays are throughout the week and alternate routes are strongly advised. CDOT would like to remind motorists to obey all traffic signs and flaggers and to “Slow for the Cone Zone.”

The existing 104th Avenue bridge over I-25 was originally constructed in 1962 and is one of Colorado’s structurally deficient bridges. When complete, the new bridge will accommodate an additional left turn lane from eastbound 104th Avenue to northbound I-25.

Hamon Contractors, Inc. is the contractor for this $6.5 million project scheduled to be complete by the end of January 2011. CDOT is funding the bridge replacement and the Northglenn Urban Renewal Authority (NURA) is funding the aesthetic improvements which will include upgraded bridge rail and upgraded bridge lighting similar to the existing lighting on the 112th Avenue overpass bridge. Aesthetic improvements also include cornerstone monuments at the four ends of the bridge and “Northglenn” monument signage mounted to an upgraded retaining wall.

C-470 Concrete Repairs Complete, Resurfacing Begins

DOUGLAS/JEFFERSON COUNTY— Crews have completed all of the concrete repairs on eastbound and westbound C-470 between I-25 and Santa Fe Drive and asphalt resurfacing is just beginning. Since temperatures are not yet warm enough for paving during the overnight hours, crews will continue to work on weekends.

“With the concrete work complete, we will micro-surface C-470, which seals the concrete and levels the pavement,” said CDOT Project Engineer Doug Liane. “Once that work is complete, we will resurface both directions of C-470 in asphalt for a smooth driving surface.”

This weekend, crews will work from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday, weather permitting. The following closures will be in place:
Closures on Saturday, April 17, 2010
• Westbound C-470 between University Boulevard and Santa Fe Drive: The left lane of westbound C-470 will be closed from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Saturday. Major delays are expected and alternate routes are strongly advised.
• Eastbound C-470 between University Boulevard and Yosemite Street: One lane of eastbound C-470 will be closed from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Saturday. Major delays are expected and alternate routes are strongly advised.
• Lucent Boulevard to Westbound C-470: The ramp from Lucent Boulevard to westbound C-470 will be completely closed from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Saturday. Detour: Motorists can take County Line Road to Santa Fe Drive where access to westbound C-470 is available.
• Westbound C-470 to Lucent Boulevard: The ramp from westbound C-470 to Lucent Boulevard will be completely closed from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Saturday. Detour: Motorists can take Santa Fe Drive to County Line Road where access to Lucent Boulevard is available.
• Quebec Street to Eastbound C-470: The ramp from Quebec Street to eastbound C-470 will be completely closed from 7 a.m. to noon on Saturday. Detour: Motorists can take County Line Road to Yosemite Street or I-25.

Closures on Sunday, April 18, 2010
• Westbound C-470 between University Boulevard and Santa Fe Drive: The right lane of westbound C-470 will be closed from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Sunday. Major delays are expected and alternate routes are strongly advised.
• Westbound C-470 to Santa Fe Drive: The ramp from westbound C-470 to Santa Fe Drive will be completely closed from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Sunday. Detour: Motorists can take Platte Canyon Road to Mineral Avenue where access to Santa Fe Drive is available.
• Eastbound and Westbound C-470 at University Boulevard: The left lane of eastbound and westbound C-470 at University will be closed Sunday from 8 p.m. to 5:30 a.m.

In addition to the weekend work, the following lane closures will be in place Monday, April 19th through Friday, April 23rd, weather permitting:
• Eastbound and Westbound C-470 at University Boulevard: The left lane of eastbound and westbound C-470 at University Boulevard will be closed Monday from 8 p.m. to 5:30 a.m.
• Eastbound and Westbound C-470 at Broadway: The left lane of eastbound and westbound C-470 at Broadway will be closed Tuesday and Wednesday from 8 p.m. to 5:30 a.m.
• Eastbound and Westbound C-470 at Santa Fe Drive: The left lane of eastbound and westbound C-470 at Santa Fe Drive will be closed on Thursday from 8 p.m. to 5:30 a.m.

Delays are expected during work hours and alternate routes are strongly advised. CDOT would like to remind motorists to obey all traffic signs and flaggers and to “Slow for the Cone Zone.” Most fines will be doubled if the infraction occurs in the work zone.

This work is part of an American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) project. The $32 million project will repair concrete along nine miles of C-470 and then pave the entire length in asphalt. Concrete repairs will also be made along 26 miles of the C-470 bike path between I-25 and I-70.

Castle Rock Construction Co. of Centennial, CO is the contractor for this project, which is scheduled to be complete by the end of September 2010.

In all, Colorado will receive more than $400 million from the Recovery Act for highway projects and $103 million for transit projects. For more information about how Colorado is putting the recovery act to work, visit www.colorado.gov/recovery. For a list of CDOT’s Recovery Act projects, visit http://www.coloradodot.info/projects/arra.

But after the first of the state’s two public hearings on the study, the very idea of evaluating an eventual VMT tax is proving to be polarizing and politically risky.

Go to DC Streetsblog to see the entire item.

Rendering of the new bridge over Lake Champlain between West Addison, Vt., and Crown Point, N.Y.

WCAX TV in Burlington, Vt., reports that Flatiron Construction of Lafayette is the apparent low bidder to build the new Crown Point bridge across an arm of Lake Champlain to connect New York and Vermont.

The old bridge was brought down by controlled demolition in December after inspectors closed it due to its condition becoming unsafe.

Flatiron’s bid was around $69 million. There were nine bidders on the project, none from Vermont. Vermont Department of Transportation officials stressed this was an apparent low bidder but Flatiron will not be awarded the contract until the bid is fully vetted.

Go to WCAX.com to see the entire story.

Bridge Deck Rehabilitation to Follow in the Near Future

DENVER – In a recent bridge inspection that took place earlier this week, Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT) bridge engineers determined that portions of the northbound I-25 bridge deck over Santa Fe Drive need to be rehabilitated due to deteriorating concrete.

The repairs include removing the existing asphalt, removing the deteriorated concrete, replacing the bridge deck with new concrete, paving, and striping. The majority of the repairs will take place in the right lane of northbound I-25 with additional work taking place in the other lanes of northbound I-25 over Santa Fe Drive.

Prior to the bridge deck rehabilitation, starting tonight, crews will begin making immediate repairs by shoring the I-25 bridge deck to prevent concrete from falling onto Santa Fe Drive from the bridge above. As a result, up to two lanes of southbound Santa Fe Drive will be closed tonight, April 15th, from 8 p.m. to 5:30 a.m. Additional lane closures may be required during the same hours tomorrow night if crews cannot complete the shoring tonight. I-25 should not be impacted by this work.

The bridge deck rehabilitation will begin once CDOT has secured a contractor to do this work. This work will likely impact traffic on northbound I-25 as well as both directions of Santa Fe Drive at some point in the near future. A plan for how this work will be completed, when and the cost of the rehabilitation is still under development.

The northbound and southbound I-25 bridges over Santa Fe Drive were both constructed in 1958 and are two of Colorado’s structurally deficient bridges in poor condition. The stretch of I-25 carries over 200,000 vehicles a day.

CDOT is in the process of designing a project that will ultimately replace both I-25 bridges over Santa Fe Drive. The project is estimated to cost between $65 and $75 million, however a schedule for replacing these bridges has not yet been determined.

The oldest bridge on the FASTER list for replacement is the nearly 90-year-old cliff-hugging Million Dollar Highway bridge over Bear Creek Falls near Ouray. Inside Lane photo.

The Telluride Watch reports that drivers who regularly use Red Mountain Pass can expect major road construction starting this August when the Colorado Department of Transportation will begin a $5.7 million Bear Creek Bridge replacement project on U.S. Hwy. 550 south of Ouray.

Phase I of the project is expected to begin on Aug. 1 and end approximately Nov. 1, CDOT Region 5 Resident Engineer Ed Archuleta told the Ouray County Commissioners on Monday.

Go to the Telluride Watch to see the entire report.

The spending goes mainly to road, bridge work that bolsters trucking infrastructure. The latest figure, posted on the Recovery.gov site, is up from $10.264 billion as of March 26. DOT has made nearly $38 billion available to states for infrastructure projects under the 2009 American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, and issues payments once it confirms work has been done.

Go to the Journal of Commerce to read the entire story.