Stimulus money drives road repairs in Lakewood
The aging U.S. 285 bridge over Wadsworth will be rebuilt with federal funds.
LAKEWOOD – Traffic will be tough in spots this summer when road crews resurface a lengthy stretch of Colfax Avenue and begin a bridge replacement project on Hampden Avenue.
The projects are among 38 Colorado Department of Transportation projects scheduled to start this summer. Fourteen of the projects fall under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, part of the Obama administration’s economic stimulus package.
“With the funds we are receiving from ARRA, we will now be able to have a construction season similar to those of recent years. We will now be able to resurface roadways, replace poor bridges and improve safety all across the Denver metro area,” said Russell George, CDoT executive director.
CDoT’s 38 projects come with a hefty price tag: $234.4 million.
Part of the federal funds will be spent to resurface West Colfax Avenue from Kipling Street to Sheridan Boulevard. That project will get under way in May and the work will continue through the summer, said Stacey Stegman, CDoT spokeswoman.
The Colfax project is one of 10 resurfacing operations in the metro area this summer. Those projects will cost more than $20 million, according to CDoT estimates.
Federal recovery funds also will be used to rehabilitate and replace concrete slabs on the C-470 bike path from Interstate 70 through the Rooney Valley, then over to I-25. About $7 million will be spent on the trail, which connects to several other bike paths, parks and recreation areas.
Work on the bike path will begin in June and will continue through November 2010.
The U.S.285/Hampden Avenue bridge over South Wadsworth Boulevard will be replaced in one of the largest projects CDoT will start this summer.
The $40.1 million plan calls for replacing the aging Wadsworth bridge, the Pierce Street bridge and the Federal Boulevard bridge. Hampden also will be rebuilt during the two-year project.
Golden’s Colo. Highway 58 bridge over Washington Avenue and the Highway 58 bridge at West 44th Avenue also are scheduled for replacement.
The $4.9 million Washington Avenue project will replace the existing span with two steel-arch bridges and includes pedestrian plazas at each end. The work will be complete in September.
The state will replace the 44th Ave. bridge at a cost of $5.4 million. That project is expected to be complete by year’s end.
“It will be important for motorists to plan ahead, know where the work zones are located and what types of delays to expect,” George said. “While we try to work in off-peak hours, motorists are still going to encounter lane closures and delays, and we just want them to be prepared.”
