Grand Avenue bridge project officials are hosting the first of two open houses on Tuesday to further explain and help people plan for the upcoming bridge closure and detour.

The open house will take place from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Tuesday at the Glenwood Springs Community Center, with a formal presentation at noon.

A second open house is planned for Aug. 1, two weeks ahead of the Aug. 14 bridge closure when Colorado 82 and cross-town traffic will be diverted onto Midland Avenue and Eighth Street for 95 days while the old bridge is demolished and the final segment of the new bridge is built.

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“This is an opportunity for community members to learn about the GAB detour and create a personal plan to reduce travel times through Glenwood Springs,” Tom Newland, project public information manager for the Colorado Department of Transportation, said in a news release.

CDOT is aiming for a goal to reduce normal traffic volumes by about 35 percent, especially during peak morning and evening commute times, in hopes of making the detour function without major backups.

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People can drop in during the open house starting at 11 a.m. for informal conversations with project officials, as well as representatives from the city of Glenwood Springs and the Roaring Fork Transportation Authority.

Information about detour logistics will be presented, as well as options for getting around and through town using public transit, bicycle routes and other strategies.

The detour presentation and print materials will also be presented in Spanish.

The second open house will take place from 4:30-6:30 p.m. Aug. 1, also at the Community Center. A full list of public meetings, detour fact sheets, maps and the detour PowerPoint presentation can be found online at grandavebridge.codot.gov.

To receive weekly construction updates, email the GAB team at info@grandavenuebridge.com, and for project-specific questions, call or text the project hotline 970-618-9897.