BRIDGE DEMOLITION UNDERWAY ON THE NORTHBOUND US 285 BRIDGE OVER WILLOW SPRINGS ROAD

JEFFERSON COUNTY - The first major phase of construction is underway on the US 285 bridge replacement project just west of C-470. On Nov. 1, crews began demolition of the northbound US 285 bridge over Willow Springs Road.The demolition is well underway and will be complete on Friday, Nov. 3. At this time, Willow Springs Road under US 285 is completely closed and detour routes are in place. The closure will remain in place until 5 p.m. on Nov. 3.

"For the first month of construction, we prepared US 285 for its current alignment so we could begin this first phase of construction, which will demolish and replace both northbound bridges over US 285," said Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT) Project Engineer Scott Smith. "The demolition of the Willow Springs bridge is going well and we expect to start demolition of the Turkey Creek bridge in about one week."

In addition to the Willow Springs Road closure, US 285 remains in a temporary alignment with one lane open in each direction on the southbound lanes. The speed limit has been reduced to 50 mph and vehicles wider than 14 feet are not permitted through the work zone.

"We know that motorists are experiencing some delays during the morning and evening rush hours," added Smith. "To help improve the flow of traffic, we will be adding more signage through the work zone which encourages motorists to use both lanes to the merge point. By using both lanes, we can more efficiently move vehicles through the work zone and reduce the backups and delays; however, we do need the cooperation and patience of the motorists."

The construction of the new northbound bridges is expected to take approximately six months. During this phase, US 285 will remain in its current configuration.Motorists on US 285 can expect delays, especially during the morning and evening rush hour.Alternate routes are strongly advised. Remember, Slow for the Cone Zone as fines for speeding and infractions related to careless driving in the work zone will be doubled.

More information will be released once the demolition has been scheduled for the northbound bridge over Turkey Creek Road.During this demolition, Turkey Creek Road will be completely closed for a three-day period. For more information on this project, visit http://www.dot.state.co.us/US285/Bridge/index.cfm. For current road and weather conditions visit http://www.cotrip.org or call 303-639-1111 (in the Denver metro area) or 1-877-315-7623 (outside Denver area).

Ames Construction Inc. is the contractor of this $5.1 million project, which is schedule to be complete by the end of September 2007.