It is slightly different from a proposal last fall that was withdrawn as the economy tanked. The design is subject to approval by the Centerra Metropolitan District and the Loveland City Council, both of which seem assured, work on the $2.9 million plan will begin this spring, and extensive landscape plantings can be done next spring.

Go to the Loveland Reporter-Herald to see the entire story and a rendering of the interchange.

The project removes two of the four cloverleaf ramps and replaces them with signalized intersections on U.S. 34. The object is to reduce weaving conflicts that heavy traffic produces with entering and exiting traffic on I-25.

Go to the Loveland Reporter-Herald 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 structurally deficient 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 – dependent on the cooperation of the weather and the off-site fabrication of the new bridge girders remaining on schedule, as it currently is.

The downstream bridge, also built in 1937, is rated 34 on a scale of 100.

You can click here to view an interactive map, complete with pictures and descriptions including year of construction, of the poor-rated bridges on the CDOT system.

Steel truss bridges cannot be removed in stages to permit continuing traffic because their type of support system requires removal all at once. And the canyon itself is too narrow for a short detour around the work site within CDOT’s right-of-way. A work-zone detour would have required the state to acquire adjacent private property through eminent domain, a costly and unnecessary acquisition since it wouldn’t be needed after construction.

SEMA work crews drill caissons for bridge supports at the upper span two months ago.

The net difference in travel from the two detour points is 15.8 miles, with the detour being 45 miles long.

That leaves motorists with a lengthy detour, depending on their destination. CDOT is recommending than motorists use U.S. 287 south out of Loveland to CO 66 in Longmont, then up through Lyons to Estes Park. Traffic on the canyon road averages about 5,500 vehicles a day.

Here is CDOT’s suggested detour route during the two closures:

View US 34 Bridge Replacement Detour in a larger map

SEMA began work in November by drilling caissons and constructing the bridge abutments at the two sites. Completion is scheduled in May.

CDOT arranged the work schedule so that the closures and disruption occurred during the winter instead of during the summer tourist season.

Below you’ll find a Google Earth aerial view of the canyon showing the locations of the two bridges. Under that are interactive Google Street View photos of the two bridges.

Google Earth view looking toward the northeast shows the two work sites.

Here is the upstream bridge:

View Larger Map

Here is the downstream bridge:

View Larger Map

Drivers should use CO 66 through Lyons to CO 36 to reach Estes Park during the closures, Feb. 1-12 and March 1-12, said Mindy Crane, Department of Transportation spokeswoman.

Because of the scope of the project — removing and replacing the old bridges — work cannot be done on half the road at a time. Crews will have to close the entire road in both directions, said Crane.

The historic bridges, part of the original highway built in 1937, will be re-used, possibly on trails.

Go to the Loveland Reporter-Herald to see the entire article.

Crews have started pouring concrete for new ramps at I-25 and Crossroads Boulevard, and pre-construction site work has begun for work just south at the I-25 interchange at U.S. 34.

Go to the Loveland Reporter-Herald to see the entire story.

The fossil finds are thought to be first uncovered on a city of Loveland roadway project in recent memory.

Frank Hempen, city of Loveland director for the $6.5 million project, this week said fossil samples already have been recovered during preliminary work at the Northwest quadrant of the interchange.

Read the entire article at the Fort Collins Coloradoan.

During its regular Tuesday meeting, the City Council was asked to accept an $8.7 million bid from New Design Construction of Denver to begin safety improvements at the aged interchange.

Instead, the council steered clear of a vote on the bid until city officials and McWhinney representatives agree on the use of about $2.5 million left over since New Design’s proposal came in below the estimated $12 million cost for the project.

As part of a Master Finance Agreement between the city of Loveland and McWhinney, the development company is required to fund certain regional transportation projects.

Read the entire article at the Coloradoan.

It’s called a continuous flow intersection, or CFI, which the city may build at Madison Avenue and Eisenhower Boulevard next summer to quicken the pace of left-turning vehicles and east-west traffic.

A CFI eliminates left-turn arrows by moving left-turning vehicles to the left side of the road – on the other side of oncoming traffic – about 300 feet before the intersection.

This happens with an additional stoplight before the intersection, which ushers the left-turning cars over to the far side of the road when oncoming traffic waits for the red light at the intersection.

When the lights turn green for both directions of traffic, the left-turning vehicles go with everyone else, eliminating a wait-time for through traffic.

Included in the scheme are merge lanes for right-turning vehicles that would sandwich in the left-turn lanes with oncoming traffic.

Confused? There’s a video of the proposed traffic flow at the city of Loveland Web site, www.ci.loveland.co.us.

Read the entire article at the Coloradoan.

“All we’re looking at in the plan is investigating the feasibility,” Transfort Assistant General Manager Kurt Ravenschlag said.

Ravenschlag said Transfort saw 15 percent ridership growth in 2008, and COLT manager Marcy Abreo said the Loveland agency is seeing similar increases. Transfort carried 1.8 million passengers last year; COLT carried 125,000.

Read the full story in the Coloradoan.