Traffic flow to slow as Grand Ave. water line project starts today
Post Independent Staff
GLENWOOD SPRINGS – Commuters traveling across the Grand Avenue Bridge can expect a slower ride for the next eight weeks.
Today marks the start of construction on the Glenwood Springs water line project, which will replace an aging city water main from 7th to 10th streets along Grand Avenue.
Gould Construction president Mark Gould said if all goes as planned, the delays shouldn’t be too bad.
Gould’s plan, which passed muster with the City Council when his company won the bid for the project on Aug. 21, is to keep four lanes open in the construction zone during the entire project.
“We’ll be grinding off the center lane lines and we’ll have flaggers and cones in the center lane from the (Grand Avenue) bridge,” Gould said. “By the end of the day, we hope to have all new delineation complete.”
The biggest inconvenience for drivers along that stretch of Highway 82 will be no left turns in the construction zone for the duration of the project.
“The reason is because there’s no protected left turn lane,” Gould said. “There’s no way to let traffic turn when you’re trying to get traffic through.”
From Wednesday through the end of the project, construction will run from 7 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. weekdays.
But in recognition of the first day of school today, Gould said his crews won’t start work until 9 a.m.
Gould has requested that all school pedestrians cross Grand Avenue at the 10th Street crosswalk, on the south side of the intersection.
“If we start them out on day one, they’ll get used to it,” he said. “All through the job they can use 10th Street. That one will never be interrupted by work.”
Cathy Tuttle, transportation consultant for Glenwood Springs, said the coincidence between the water line project and the first day of school is a great opportunity for people to look at, and get used to, finding alternative ways to get the kids to and from school.
“It’s a good time to look at carpooling and people biking and walking to school,” she said. “With the construction zones, it could be faster to find other alternatives.”
For water line project updates, go to the city’s Web site: http://www.ci.glenwood-springs.co.us, then click on “Grand Avenue Water Project.”
Contact Greg Masse: 945-8515, ext. 511
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