The second full closure of US 34 just east of Estes Park is now scheduled to take place Thursday, March 4, through Monday, March 15, weather permitting. The closure is necessary to allow SEMA Construction to replace the last steel truss bridge on US 34 in the Big Thompson Canyon.

CDOT will reopen US 34 in Big Thompson Canyon Wednesday night after SEMA Construction was able to complete replacement of one of two bridges ahead of schedule. The old bridge had been the worst-rated bridge in the entire state highway system.

The Estes Park Trail-Gazette reports that bad weather has pushed back the U.S. 34 closure a couple of days. The first full closure of US 34 just east of Estes Park will now take place Wednesday, Feb. 3 through Sunday, Feb. 14, weather permitting.

The closure is necessary to allow the Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT) to replace the first of two bridges on US 34 in the Big Thompson Canyon. Both structures are steel truss bridges that were constructed in 1937 and are in poor condition.

“Due to the snow we received last night, the contractor is unable to complete the preparatory work by Monday as it requires single-lane alternating traffic and the icy conditions create an unsafe situation for motorists and the flaggers,” said CDOT Resident Engineer Scott Ellis. “As a result, the closure will be postponed two days so that the contractor can complete the preparatory work at the bridge under safe conditions.”

Go to the Estes Park Trail-Gazette to see the entire article.

CDOT Press Release

LARIMER COUNTY – The first full closure of US 34 just east of Estes Park will now take place Wednesday, February 3rd through Sunday, February 14th, weather permitting. The closure is necessary to allow the Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT) to replace the first of two bridges on US 34 in the Big Thompson Canyon. Both structures are steel truss bridges that were constructed in 1937 and are in poor condition.

“Due to the snow we received last night, the contractor is unable to complete the preparatory work by Monday as it requires single-lane alternating traffic and the icy conditions create an unsafe situation for motorists and the flaggers,” said CDOT Resident Engineer Scott Ellis. “As a result, the closure will be postponed two days so that the contractor can complete the preparatory work at the bridge under safe conditions.”

During the closure, US 34 will be completely closed at milepost 65.4 and motorists will be detoured through Lyons along US 287, State Highway 66 and US 36. The closure will be in place 24 hours a day starting at 12:01 a.m. on February 3rd and continuing through February 14th while crews demolish the existing bridge and construct the new bridge. The detour route will add approximately 15 miles (20 minutes) onto a trip from Estes Park to Loveland.

A second closure of US 34 at milepost 66.3 will be required in March to demolish and replace the second structure. This closure is tentatively scheduled for March 1st through March 12th, but is subject to change due to weather or construction activities. The same detour route will be utilized during the second closure of US 34.

“We understand that the full closures are a huge inconvenience, but the only way to replace these aging structures is to completely close the highway,” added Ellis. “We have a fast track method of construction in place that will allow us to complete the majority of work in 12 days so we can reopen US 34 to traffic.”

Following both closures, crews will have some minor work to complete. Between the middle of March and the middle of May, crews will install the remaining drainage structures that are outside of the roadway and pave the roadway in asphalt. The paving cannot take place until warmer temperatures return. Other minor work includes staining the concrete on the new bridges and installing the guardrail. During the last two months of construction, motorists can expect single-lane alternating traffic during daytime hours, Monday through Friday.

For more information about the project, visit http://www.coloradodot.info/projects/us-34-truss-bridges or call 970-685-0229. For frequently asked questions, visit the project Web site.

SEMA Construction, Inc. is the contractor for this $3.8 million project scheduled to be complete by Memorial Day 2010.

The Estes Park Trail-Gazette reports that locals may end up using Devil’s Gulch Road through Glen Haven as a detour between Estes Park and Loveland instead of the recommended detour during the upcoming U.S. 34 closures for bridge replacement projects, but maintenance crews won’t be putting any extra effort into clearing it.

The alternate route, which meets U.S. 34 in the canyon at Drake, bypasses the construction zones but is a two-lane road with steep sections including sharp curves

Transportation officials are urging motorists to use US 36 between Estes Park and Lyons as the alternative route to the valley during the closures.

The first of two 12-day road closures on US 34 just east of Estes Park will begin on Monday as the Colorado Department of Transportation`s project to replace a pair of aging steel truss bridges over the Big Thompson River kicks into high gear.

Go to the Estes Park Trail-Gazette to see the entire article.

The upstream bridge on U.S. 34, built in 1937, is the lowest-rated bridge – 6 on a scale of 100 – on CDOT’s list of 124 poor-rated bridges in the state.

The $3.8 million replacement of two unsafe steel truss bridges erected in Big Thompson Canyon during the Great Depression – including the lowest-rated bridge on the state system’s list of 124 poor-rated bridges – will force two 12-day closures of U.S. 34 downriver from Estes Park in February and March.

SEMA Construction is doing the work for the Colorado Department of Transportation. The full closures are schedule for Feb. 1-12 for the bridge upstream closer to Estes Park, and for March 1-12 for the second span nine-tenths of a mile downriver.

The suggested detour between Estes Park and Loveland during the closures is via CO 66 and U.S. 287 through Longmont, nearly 16 miles longer than the trip on U.S. 34. But the canyon environment and adjacent private property made temporary work zone detours prohibitively expensive for such a short time.