Hanging Lake tunnel repairs moving along

Lanes closed until Oct. 19

Click to Enlarge Browse and Buy Post Independent Photos A helicopter transports foam blocks (each about 16 feet long by 3 feet thick by 5 feet wide) from the Hanging Lake Rest area to the top of a portion of Hanging Lake Tunnel, where they will be stacked 10-feet high to help absorb any future weight on this transition tunnel between the two mountains. Submitted photo

Staff Report
Glenwood Springs, CO Colorado
October 11, 2007

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Interstate 70 lanes through tunnels east of Glenwood Springs will remain closed for the near future.

The Colorado Department of Transportation said a single lane in the Hanging Lake Tunnels will remain closed in each direction through the tunnel until Oct. 19. The closure is for restriping and to complete work on barriers at either end.

The Hanging Lake Rest Area will also stay closed until this Friday around noon. Helicopter crews are picking up foam blocks that have been temporarily stored there. The blocks will replace some of the dirt that was excavated to repair the crack above the eastbound tunnel. They should help absorb the impact from possible future rockfall and lighten the load on top of the tunnel.

CDOT closed the eastbound lanes on March 30 and has since repaired a 70-foot crack in the concrete above them. The repair work was estimated to cost as much as $6 million.

Also causing closures is a $2.7 million project to rehabilitate the lining of the No Name Tunnels east of Glenwood Springs. Single-lane closures in each direction will remain constant until the work is suspended for winter, probably in early December, according to CDOT.

That project involves removal of the porcelain painted metal tunnel lining, repair of any existing cracks if necessary, and the replacement of lining with ceramic tiles, CDOT said in a news release. Work will also include some guardrail replacement.



Post Independent, Glenwood Springs Colorado CO