On the evening of Friday, July 19, I-70, between I-25 and Federal Boulevard, will be closed to allow crews to demolish the existing Pecos Street bridge and roll the new 2,400-ton bridge into place over the highway. I-70 will reopen by 5 a.m. on Monday, July 22. It will take approximately eight hours to demolish the existing bridge starting at midnight on July 19 and more than 10 hours to move the new bridge into place over I-70. The bridge is anticipated to be in its final placement over I-70 in the early morning hours of Sunday, July 21. The bridge will be moved using Self-Propelled Modular Transporters (SPMT), which are computer controlled platform vehicles capable of moving bridges of this magnitude. The bridge will move out of the bridge farm where it is being constructed, turn 180 degrees once it gets to I-70 and then move west on I-70 at a rate of approximately 100 to 120 feet per hour. The remainder of the weekend closure in necessary to clean up the demolished bridge from the highway and secure the bridge to ensure it’s safe for motorists traveling on I-70. A viewing area will be set up on Saturday for the public on the north side of I-70 near the westbound I-70 off-ramp to Pecos Street. This viewing area can be accessed from 52nd Avenue and Osage Street. The viewing area will not be open all weekend but rather for the majority of the day on Saturday.
Posted on: Sat, 20 Jul 2013 18:55:02 +0000