The ultimate bad news for users of the shuttered Champlain Bridge came Monday, when the historic span was declared unrepairable, according to the Plattsburgh, N.Y., Press Republican.

At a hastily called press conference on the Vermont side of the bridge, New York State Department of Transportation Acting Commissioner Stanley Gee said that incline cracks in the concrete bridge pillars are so severe the span is in jeopardy of collapsing into Lake Champlain.

Gee said the Crown Point bridge will be demolished and a new span built on its footprint, but he had no timetable yet for those actions.

Go to the Press Republican to read the entire article.

New public-input web site for reporting I-70 wildlife sightings aims to improve highway safety

Voters in three cities in Ohio and Texas on Tuesday voted automated photo traffic ticket systems out of their towns, part of a growing trend of drivers versus public officials amid a battle over whether the cameras are about safety or revenue. Read the full story in the Washington Post.

CDOT Press Release

Colorado Department of Transportation Chief Engineer Pam Hutton, already a trailblazer as the first woman to ever hold the position of Chief Engineer at CDOT, has been named the 2009 winner of the Thomas H. MacDonald Memorial Award from the American Association of State Highway & Transportation Officials (AASHTO). Hutton received her award during an AASHTO national conference in Palm Desert, CA, on Oct. 26.

This award was established 1957 to honor the long-time chief of the Bureau of Public Roads and is focused on highways. It is considered to be the highest award made to an individual by AASHTO. Hutton was nominated and awarded for her “exemplary leadership of the Department’s comprehensive safety program. She also serves as the Governor’s representative for highway safety. In her role of leading CDOT’s program, she has taken a particular focus on motorcycle safety and helped implement Colorado’s “Live to Ride” public-safety campaign. She is also actively leading an effort to employ innovation and new technology to provide real-time, accurate information so that motorists can make the best possible decisions.

During her 30-year CDOH/CDOT career, Hutton has served in various positions at CDOT in the disciplines of design, plan preparation, and accident analysis. She has served as CDOT Region 1 Traffic & Safety Engineer, Region 1 Program Engineer, and Region 6 Transportation Director.

While attending the same AASHTO meeting Pam accepted on the behalf of CDOT The 2009 AASHTO Safety Award during the AASHTO Board of Directors meeting.

The award was made on a variety of criteria, including safety performance, safety leadership, safety partnerships, safety planning, safety innovations, and safety results. The award focused on roadway safety, including CDOT’s Strategic Plan for Improving Roadway Safety, the Integrated Safety Plan, roadway safety engineering improvements, and programs to help improve occupant safety in vehicles along the state’s 9,000+ miles of state and federal highways. Because of the scope of the award, many workgroups and programs contributed.

While accepting the award on CDOT’ behalf Hutton referenced the many partnerships responsible for declines in roadway fatalities, including the CDOT safety program targeting drunk driving (“The Heat is On”/”Over the Limit, Under Arrest”); safety belt use (“Click it or Ticket”); child safety seats; and educating teen drivers; the CDOT Traffic Engineering program; the CDOT Office of Transportation Safety; and external partners such as the Colorado State Patrol, the Federal highway Administration, and the National Transportation Safety Administration.

Even after the nomination was completed and submitted by the July 30 deadline, more good safety news arrived at CDOT. For example, many regions and maintenance sections achieved their monthly goals during the 100 Safe Days of Summer campaign this past year. Also, end-of-summer statistics showed a huge 50% decline in Colorado drunk driving fatalities for the Memorial Day to Labor Day summer driving season in 2009 as compared to 2008, due in no small part to awareness campaigns and aggressive drunk driving enforcement all around Colorado.

Looking southwest over Indiana Street near the Rocky Flats site, the Jefferson Parkway toll road would go straight down the grassy space in the middle of the photo.

Officials from Golden and Boulder, the two cities connected by CO 93, told lawmakers on Wednesday that their $175 million plan to improve the hazardous stretch of road will improve safety and ease traffic congestion – results they say won’t be obtained from building the proposed Jefferson Parkway toll road.

They advocate intersection improvements including a grade separation at U.S. 6 and Heritage Road near the Jefferson County government center and U.S. 6 and 19th Street, plus shoulders and medians along CO 93. They claimed the Jefferson Parkway would worsen congestion in the northwest quadrant and do nothing to solve CO 93’s safety problems. Portions of the highway have accident rates twice the state average.

“Golden and Boulder feel they have to be proactive to come up with a transportation solution that works,” said John Putnam, an attorney representing Golden on transportation issues.

But after the meeting, the argument was joined by backers of the Jefferson Parkway, a $204 million proposed extension of the metro beltway that would run initially for about nine miles from Interlocken to CO 93 north of Golden.

“How could Jefferson Parkway add congestion to their streets if they say no one is going to use it?” said Kevin McCasky, a Jefferson County commissioner who is chair of the Jefferson Parkway Public Highway Authority. “You can’t have it both ways. Is there a bunch of new traffic that’s just going to show up in neighborhoods?

E-470 Press Release

Installation of the third phase of median cable barrier on E-470 is now underway from the toll plaza north of 26th Avenue to the I-76 interchange.

On October 8, the E-470 Board of Directors approved the award of a contract in the amount of $1,168,710 to Ideal Fencing Corp. to install 11 miles of additional median cable barrier. Installation is expected to be completed by the end of 2009.

This project adds to the 23 miles of cable barrier installed in 2007 and 2008, which help to prevent potential cross-over accidents on the highway. E-470 plans to continue to install median barrier cable in all remaining sections of the highway’s 47 miles.

The barrier to be installed will be 38 inches tall, higher than the standard 29-1/2 inches found throughout the Denver metro area.

E-470 is a tollway that runs along the eastern perimeter of the Denver metropolitan area. The 70-mph highway extends 47 miles from State Highway C-470 at I-25 in Douglas County, terminating at I-25 near 160th Ave. in Thornton.

The Colorado Department of Transportation is promoting safe winter driving along Interstate 70 by reminding motorists of the chain law, says TruckinInfo.com. The state’s current chain law requires a commercial vehicle operating on I-70 between milepost 133 and milepost 259 to carry sufficient chains from September 1 through May 31.

“Over the years, there have been changes to the chain law and the Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT) has implemented new programs along the I-70 west corridor that have helped clear the highway faster and keep traffic moving in inclement weather,” said Tony DeVito, CDOT region transportation director. “While these programs help, we still need the cooperation of the traveling public to follow chain laws and safe winter driving practices.”

Read the entire article at TruckingInfo.com.

CDOT Press Release

Colorado has already seen its first dose of snow in the high country, which means winter driving conditions may exist at any time and drivers should be prepared. Part of the preparation is getting familiar with Colorado’s chain law and road condition information resources.

“Over the years, there have been changes to the chain law and the Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT) has implemented new programs along the I-70 west corridor that have helped clear the highway faster and keep traffic moving in inclement weather,” said Tony DeVito, CDOT Region Transportation Director. “While these programs help, we still need the cooperation of the traveling public to follow chain laws and safe winter driving practices.”

Colorado’s current chain law requires commercial vehicles operating on I-70 between milepost 133 (Dotsero exit) and milepost 259 (Morrison exit) from September 1st to May 31st to carry sufficient chains to be in compliance with the Colorado chain law.

An alternate traction control device known as the AutoSock™ has also been approved in Colorado. Commercial vehicles (both single and double axle) exceeding 26,000 Gross Vehicle Weight or vehicles carrying 16 passengers or more will have the option of using AutoSock™ rather than chains. This traction control device is a fabric that slips over a vehicle’s outer driving wheels, providing extra traction on snowy and icy roads. It also can be installed over the tire in less time than traditional chains.

Colorado’s chain law applies to all state, federal and Interstate highways and was initially enacted in 1996. It includes two levels for commercial vehicles.

• Chain Law Level 1 requires all single drive axle combinations commercial vehicles to chain up. All four drive wheels must be chained; cables are not permitted as an alternate traction device. All other commercial vehicles must have snow tires or chains. Level 1 may be implemented any time there is snow covering any part of the traveled portion of pavement on an ascending grade.

• Chain Law Level 2 requires all commercial vehicles to chain up. Auto transports must comply to the extent possible without causing damage to hydraulic lines. Buses must chain two drive wheels to comply. Level 2 may be implemented any time there is snow covering the entire traveled portion of pavement on an ascending grade or when driving conditions dictate this level is necessary to protect safety and minimize closures.

To help ensure that commercial vehicles have a safe location to chain up or down, CDOT has 21 chain stations along the I-70 west corridor, many of which have been improved over the last several years and provide more parking and a safer environment. The 11 chain stations on eastbound I-70 are located at mileposts 178, 183, 184 (shoulder), 187 (shoulder), 195, 203 (scenic area), 205, 219, 228, 241 and 251. The ten chain stations on westbound I-70 are located at mileposts 263, 260, 254 (Buffalo Overlook), 228, 223, 221, 219, 213 (brake check area) and 197 (scenic area) and 179.

In addition, CDOT has a few chain stations on the I-70 east corridor at mileposts 289 and 343 eastbound and milepost 358 westbound. There is also a chain station located on northbound I-25 at milepost 157 (near Monument) and southbound at milepost 172 (near Larkspur).

CDOT will also continue its heavy tow program for the third year in a row. The program is designed to promptly clear disabled heavy trucks from the highway in order to open the road more quickly. CDOT is contracting with American Towing Alliance, Inc. (ATA) to provide three heavy wreckers at strategic locations along I-70 this winter, allowing commercial vehicles to be moved quickly from traffic lanes to a safe location.

“This has been a very successful program and we are pleased that we have the resources to continue it this winter,” added DeVito. “Removing a large truck from the highway used to take about an hour, but through the heavy tow program, we are generally able to clear the highway, within 20 to 30 minutes.”

Heavy tow coverage will begin around Thanksgiving and will continue each weekend through late March or early April 2010. Typical hours of operation are Saturdays from 6 a.m. to 2 p.m. on westbound I-70 and Sundays from 2 p.m. to 10 p.m. on eastbound I-70. Other coverage days include Martin Luther King Jr. Day (Monday, January 18) and President’s Day (February 15). Other days may be added for inclement weather if CDOT deems it necessary.

For the safety of the drivers and the traveling public, CDOT strongly encourages drivers to use the chain stations and follow the reduced speed limit when the chain law is in effect. Motorists can obtain chain law information as well as road condition information by visiting www.cotrip.org or by calling 511 in Colorado.

Lakewood Police found an unexpected result from the “100 Days of Heat” campaign, law enforcement’s statewide crackdown on drunken driving: surprisingly few arrests compared with the large number of drivers processed through DUI checkpoints, according to Lakewood Edge.
“The numbers for the checkpoints surprised all of us by being so low,” said Lakewood Police Department spokesman Steve Davis. “It was a pleasant surprise.”
At the campaign’s last local rolling checkpoint operated by the LPD the Jeffco Sheriff’s Office and the Wheat Ridge Police Department, officers stopped more than 3,000 drivers and fewer …

Due to two recent incidents involving asphalt spills by a subcontractor delivering asphalt to a construction project on CO 14 between Hatchery and Cameron Pass, the Colorado Department of Transportation has ordered its contractor, LaFarge West, to conduct a “Safety Stand Down” on the project.

CDOT has suspended all work on the project until La Farge provides documentation regarding the corrective actions taken to prevent a recurrence. CDOT is very concerned about the impact of these spills and is working to ensure that this issue be corrected immediately.