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10-day Roaring Fork bridge closure in Glenwood Springs begins

Chelsea Self / Post Independent
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Motorists making their way through and around Glenwood Springs for the next 10 days are reminded to plan accordingly for the scheduled closure of the Eighth Street bridge that normally leads into downtown.

The bridge crossing of the Roaring Fork River between Midland Avenue, Seventh Street and the eventual new Eighth Street connection will be closed for repairs, including a new deck, starting today until Tuesday, Oct. 18.

The closure is necessary for the Grand Avenue Bridge project’s Eighth Street connection, which will serve as part of the Grand Avenue/Colorado 82 detour for three months starting in August 2017 when the final segment of the new highway bridge is being built.



During the Eighth Street bridge closure, motorists coming from West Glenwood and points west will have to use Interstate 70 to Exit 116 (main Glenwood exit), or U.S. 6 and Sixth Street to access downtown.

Traffic to and from points along Midland Avenue, including Glenwood Meadows and the Glenwood Community Center, must also use the route through West Glenwood, or, if coming from the south, take 27th Street to Midland Avenue.



During the bridge closure, access to Eighth Street businesses will be maintained, and Cowdin Drive residents will have access from Midland Avenue, and the north parking lot at Veltus Park will remain open. Pedestrian access across the bridge will also will be maintained.

Seventh Street will be closed to through traffic but will remain open to just beyond the railroad bridge and businesses east of the river, including Farnum Holt Funeral Home and the Glenwood Springs Baptist Church.

Access to the public parking lot on Seventh Street near the old sewer plant will also be maintained.

There will be some changes to Midland Avenue traffic during the bridge closure as well.

Colorado Department of Transportation crews will remove the northbound traffic signal on Midland and switch the southbound and westbound Eighth Street traffic signals to a flash.

“These changes will require motorists turning onto Eighth Street to wait for a break in traffic,” according to a CDOT Grand Avenue bridge project press release. Traffic control will be on hand to assist in the area.

The Roaring Fork School District is also adjusting its bus routes to and from Glenwood Springs Elementary School, and will prohibit parking on the west side of School Street to allow school bus drop-off and pick-up at the school.

In addition, the Roaring Fork Transportation Authority bus stops on Seventh Street will be closed during those 10 days. The bus stop at Ninth Street and Grand will remain open, and buses will be taking the route through West Glenwood to the Glenwood Springs Mall and Glenwood Meadows areas.

On Oct. 13, the city of Glenwood Springs is also closing Midland Avenue from Wulfsohn Road to Devereux Road from 8 p.m. to 6 a.m. for delivery and placement of a new pedestrian bridge that is unrelated to the Grand Avenue bridge project.

“Utilizing alternative transportation, carpooling and commuting schedule shifts during peak travel times may be necessary to ease navigation across Glenwood Springs,” CDOT advises.

For more information about the project, call or text 970-618-9897 or email info@grandavenuebridge.com.


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