JEFFERSON COUNTY - Tonight, the Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT) will begin girder installation for the new ramp from eastbound I-70 to State Highway (SH) 58. The installation will take place over eight nights and will require various lane closures on I-70 and Youngfield Street.
The following closures will take place Thursday, December 6th through Thursday, December 13th, except no work will take place on Saturday, December 8th (all work is weather permitting):
-Thursday, December 6th:
7 p.m. to 5 a.m.: Youngfield Street will be in a one-lane configuration with alternating traffic.
10 p.m. to 5 a.m.: Eastbound I-70 will be completely closed between 32nd Avenue and Ward Road. Motorists will be detoured to the 32nd Avenue/Youngfield Street exit where they will go north on Youngfield Street to 44th Avenue. Once on 44th Avenue, go east to the existing on-ramp to eastbound I-70.
-Friday, December 7th:
7 p.m. to 5 a.m.: Youngfield Street will be in a one-lane configuration with alternating traffic.
Sunday, December 9th:
5 p.m. to 5 a.m.: Youngfield Street will be in a one-lane configuration with alternating traffic.
10 p.m. to 5 a.m.: Eastbound I-70 will be completely closed between 32nd Avenue and Ward Road. Motorists will be detoured to the 32nd Avenue/Youngfield Street exit where they will go north on Youngfield Street to 44th Avenue. Once on 44th Avenue, go east to the existing on-ramp to eastbound I-70.
Monday, December 10th:
10 p.m. to 5 a.m.: Eastbound I-70 will be completely closed between 32nd Avenue and Ward Road. Motorists will be detoured to the 32nd Avenue/Youngfield Street exit where they will go north on Youngfield Street to 44th Avenue. Once on 44th Avenue, go east to the existing on-ramp to eastbound I-70.
Tuesday, December 11th:
10 p.m. to 5 a.m.: Eastbound I-70 will be completely closed between 32nd Avenue and Ward Road. Motorists will be detoured to the 32nd Avenue/Youngfield Street exit where they will go north on Youngfield Street to 44th Avenue. Once on 44th Avenue, go east to the existing on-ramp to eastbound I-70.
Wednesday, December 12th:
10 p.m. to 5 a.m.: Westbound I-70 will be completely closed between 32nd Avenue and Ward Road from 10 p.m. to 5 a.m. Motorists will be detoured to westbound SH 58 then to McIntyre Street and onto eastbound I-70 where motorists can take the new ramp back to westbound I-70.
10 p.m. to 5 a.m.: Eastbound I-70 will be completely closed between 32nd Avenue and Ward Road from 10 p.m. to 5 a.m. Motorists will be detoured to the 32nd Avenue/Youngfield Street exit where they will go north on Youngfield Street to 44th Avenue. Once on 44th Avenue, go east to the existing on-ramp to eastbound I-70.
-Thursday, December 13th: 10 p.m. to 5 a.m.: Westbound I-70 will be completely closed between 32nd Avenue and Ward Road from 10 p.m. to 5 a.m. Motorists will be detoured to westbound SH 58 then to McIntyre Street and onto eastbound I-70 where motorists can take the new ramp back to westbound I-70.
Delays are expected every night 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."
In all, the project will construct, reconstruct or realign five ramps and construct the 40th Avenue underpass:
-A new ramp from eastbound I-70 to westbound SH 58 will be built
-A new ramp from eastbound SH 58 to westbound I-70 will be built
-The existing ramp from eastbound SH 58 to eastbound I-70 will be realigned and reconstructed without replacing the existing bridge
-The existing ramp from westbound I-70 to SH 58 will be realigned and reconstructed
-The existing ramp from Youngfield Street to eastbound I-70 will be relocated approximately ¼ mile to the south to accommodate a longer acceleration lane
Ames Construction, Inc. is the contractor of this $30.8 million project, which will be complete by the end of
December 2008. The project is being funded by federal and state funds as well as Jefferson County. The $7.3 million portion of the project that constructs the 40th Avenue underpass is being funded by the City of Wheat Ridge.
Mindy Crane, CDOT