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Glenwood Springs 8th Street bridge reopening delayed again

Workers busily prepare the Eighth Street bridge in downtown Glenwood Springs for paving and a hoped-for reopening on Wednesday afternoon.
John Stroud / Post Independent |

The final rush to complete work on the Eighth Street bridge in downtown Glenwood Springs will mean another delay in getting the bridge reopened, as project officials are now targeting Wednesday afternoon.

“We just have a lot of stuff going on in a small space, and multiple crews out there trying to complete things,” said Tom Newland, Grand Avenue bridge project public information manager for the Colorado Department of Transportation.

Project officials had hoped to complete paving on Monday and have the bridge open by today.



However, construction work to get the bridge ready for the new Eighth Street connection into downtown will now last into the day on Wednesday, with a target for having the bridge reopened later that day, Newland said.

The bridge crossing the Roaring Fork River serves as a major connection between downtown Glenwood Springs and Midland Avenue. It has been closed since Oct. 8 for upgrades related to the planned three-month Colorado 82 detour late next year when the final segment of the new Grand Avenue bridge is being built.



Barring any weather delays, paving on the Eighth Street bridge should be completed today and final touches will be done on Wednesday before the bridge can reopen, project engineer Graham Riddile said.

Most of the paving near the newly revamped Midland Avenue intersection was done on Monday, and crews were busy getting the bridge itself ready for paving.

“We’re working as fast as we can, and we want to see that bridge open just like everybody else,” Riddile said.

Once the bridge is reopened, a realigned turn onto Seventh Street will serve as the main route into downtown to Colorado Avenue and back to Eight. Seventh Street between Colorado and Cooper avenues remains closed as a staging area during the Grand Avenue bridge construction.

The new straight-shot Eighth Street connection is not expected to be ready for traffic until the middle of November, Riddile said.

Until the Eighth Street bridge reopens, motorists are advised to use Interstate 70 Exit 116 and U.S. 6 as alternate routes into downtown, and 27th Street for access to points along Midland Avenue. Commuters should anticipate delays during peak morning hours from 7:15-8:30 a.m.


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