Glenwood Springs Traffic Mess

[4runnerguy]

Just a quick note while we're briefly back in town about the traffic mess about to occur in Glenwood Springs, CO. They are going to tear down the old bridge across the Colorado River and replace it with a new one. This is the main route up valley on CO 82 from I-70 to Aspen, Redstone, Marble, Maroon Bells, and on over Independence or McClure Passes.

A week from today (8/14) they are totally closing the bridge and all access up valley from I-70 will using the West Glenwood exit 114 and travelling two lane Midland Avenue on a circuitous route back into town and onto CO 82 (Grand Avenue). Initial estimates of delays of an hour at morning and evening rush hour, so if your travel plans are through here, go on the weekends or off hours.

Even if you aren't planning exiting in Glenwood, your travels on I-70 will still be disrupted if you come through town between 8 pm and 6 am. All traffic on I-70 in both directions will be routed off the highway, on side streets through town in the area of the pool, and back onto the highway. Again, expect big delays, as these are two lane roads with stop lights carrying all the traffic of a four lane interstate.

While we are reaching the end of summer, the areas around Aspen, Redstone, Maroon Bells, etc. attract a lot of visitors in the fall when the aspen are changing. I'm not looking forward to any of this.

As for us, we're planning on using our bikes around town as much as possible. We can surely ride the three mile detour through West Glenwood in far less than an hour. Don't know what were going to do when the weather turns cold and the sun rises later and sets earlier. :?

This closure is to last until sometime in December.

[4runnerguy]

d3500ram wrote:
Any one over in the RFV driving the new bridge? Thoughts on it?

It flows pretty well. Of course when one has had to put up with the horrendous traffic for three months, anything is an improvement. I think the biggest issue is the roundabout on the north end of the bridge. If you're just going from CO 82 to I70 or vice versa, there's not an issue. But when you're heading northbound and want to head to the motels west of the intersection or to the gondola, you really have to pay attention. Likewise, heading back east along US 6/24 can get to be backed up in the morning rush. Hopefully they will work on signal timing.

I am so glad to get "my" interchange back (Exit 114).

[d3500ram]

Any one over in the RFV driving the new bridge? Thoughts on it?

[Busskipper]

Busskipper wrote:

4runnerguy wrote:

Busskipper wrote:
Looks like it is really moving along - has the traffic mess been better?

just looking for the update, hunting season will be the next test.:S

Southbound in the morning is quite a bit better. But northbound (from the Aspen direction) is a mess much of the day and even weekends. Whatever you do, don't take 27th St. to Midland to try to bypass downtown, as they have the northbound light at 8th and Midland timed such that maybe 5 or 6 cars get through on every cycle (every two or three minutes). Someone who got stuck in the mess a couple of days ago said it's an hour to go three blocks!

Of course much will change come next Tuesdays when the schools go back in session. They delayed the opening to allow for a couple of weeks for the detours to take effect, but no doubt there will be a whole new traffic pattern and mess once the kids are back in school.

Ken,

Looking like they are getting really close, concrete is finished and lines on the Road.

When do you think it might open - Being an old Interstate Highway builder - this was one of the quickest major bridge jobs I have ever seen - the Bonus/incentive must be sizable!

It appears they will beat the December date by a lot.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qHqIjDoMYAk

Looked in today

:B :B :BOPEN:B :B :B


Not Bad as this video in August 16th will attest - Utube Bridge collapse

[Busskipper]

4runnerguy wrote:

Busskipper wrote:
Looks like it is really moving along - has the traffic mess been better?

just looking for the update, hunting season will be the next test.:S

Southbound in the morning is quite a bit better. But northbound (from the Aspen direction) is a mess much of the day and even weekends. Whatever you do, don't take 27th St. to Midland to try to bypass downtown, as they have the northbound light at 8th and Midland timed such that maybe 5 or 6 cars get through on every cycle (every two or three minutes). Someone who got stuck in the mess a couple of days ago said it's an hour to go three blocks!

Of course much will change come next Tuesdays when the schools go back in session. They delayed the opening to allow for a couple of weeks for the detours to take effect, but no doubt there will be a whole new traffic pattern and mess once the kids are back in school.

Ken,

Looking like they are getting really close, concrete is finished and lines on the Road.

When do you think it might open - Being an old Interstate Highway builder - this was one of the quickest major bridge jobs I have ever seen - the Bonus/incentive must be sizable!

It appears they will beat the December date by a lot.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qHqIjDoMYAk

[4runnerguy]

Busskipper wrote:
Looks like it is really moving along - has the traffic mess been better?

just looking for the update, hunting season will be the next test.:S

Southbound in the morning is quite a bit better. But northbound (from the Aspen direction) is a mess much of the day and even weekends. Whatever you do, don't take 27th St. to Midland to try to bypass downtown, as they have the northbound light at 8th and Midland timed such that maybe 5 or 6 cars get through on every cycle (every two or three minutes). Someone who got stuck in the mess a couple of days ago said it's an hour to go three blocks!

Of course much will change come next Tuesdays when the schools go back in session. They delayed the opening to allow for a couple of weeks for the detours to take effect, but no doubt there will be a whole new traffic pattern and mess once the kids are back in school.

[Busskipper]

4runnerguy wrote:

d3500ram wrote:
I heard that part of the existing bridge collapsed last night... wonder if that going to affect the schedule?

Video from 9 News.

HERE is a youtoob feed so you do not need to wait for the news channel to load.

Colorado Mountain Collage has a CAMERA FEED of the bridge progress

Here is cell phone video of the collapse from a different perspective.

Trains are rolling again through town, so the tracks must not have been too damaged. Maybe it will speed up the demolition as the girders came down ahead of schedule. :W

Looks like it is really moving along - has the traffic mess been better?

just looking for the update, hunting season will be the next test.:S

[4runnerguy]

tmm2good wrote:

4runnerguy wrote:
They were giving tickets to those who stayed in the left lane and tried to cut in at the last minute. !

Crazy, on the news here in Denver whenever they talk about construction, the State Patrol wants people to use the entire lane right up to the very last point to merge.

That's usually because everyone will end up in the same lane through the construction zone. In this case, the left lane continues on I-70 east while the right lane must exit. A different scenario.

[tmm2good]

4runnerguy wrote:
They were giving tickets to those who stayed in the left lane and tried to cut in at the last minute. !

Crazy, on the news here in Denver whenever they talk about construction, the State Patrol wants people to use the entire lane right up to the very last point to merge.

[d3500ram]

4runnerguy wrote:
... Maybe it will speed up the demolition as the girders came down ahead of schedule. :W

That would seem to almost be an obvious benefit, but I can envision OSHA, CDOT, Dept of XYZ , etc getting involved and slowing things down.

Any truth to the rumor that the pedestrian bridge had to be redesigned because the rise/ run dimensions of the stairs did not meet code?

[4runnerguy]

d3500ram wrote:
I heard that part of the existing bridge collapsed last night... wonder if that going to affect the schedule?

Video from 9 News.

HERE is a youtoob feed so you do not need to wait for the news channel to load.

Colorado Mountain Collage has a CAMERA FEED of the bridge progress

Here is cell phone video of the collapse from a different perspective.

Trains are rolling again through town, so the tracks must not have been too damaged. Maybe it will speed up the demolition as the girders came down ahead of schedule. :W

[4runnerguy]

Thom02099 wrote:
Hey Ken,

Is traffic on I-70 WB through town impacted by this? I'm planning to head that way in October enroute to the Grand Canyon.

Main effects during the daytime are on I-70 eastbound between 5 and 9 a.m. Traffic backs up for miles in the right lane waiting to exit. But of course there are those who don't think they should wait and go as far in the left lane as they can and then slow and try to cut in. That of course slows the normal flow of traffic in the left lane. Outside of those hours in the morning, things flow pretty well if you're just going through town.

There will be night closures of I-70 at exit 116 from time to time as they take the bridge down over the highway. From 8 p.m. to 6 a.m. they take traffic off the interstate, route it around the pool, and then back on the interstate. COTrip.org should have details on the days when they plan to do that.

[Bigg_Al]

I've gone back and forth through there several times when travelling to or from Aspen or Carbondale and each time it has been a challenge going toward I70 through town even without the construction. I can't imagine this.

[Lauren]

We are here at an rv park for 3 days; today being the last - thank God! We sit at our rv site and watch the mess on I-70. It is stopped eastbound in the morning -- stopped and very, very slow going.

We wanted to go down south on 82 (the 114 exit) yesterday and it took a very long time to clear going straight thru that even at 9:30a.

We have to go thru tomorrow as we are going to go down to Carbondale with the 5er for three days. We will be coming back thru to head west on I-70 on Sunday - Sunday should help.

Ken and I have been friends long time here on rv stuff and had hoped to meet for coffee - not sure that can even happen.

Will be glad to get otta here and this mess.

[d3500ram]

I heard that part of the existing bridge collapsed last night... wonder if that going to affect the schedule?

Video from 9 News.

HERE is a youtoob feed so you do not need to wait for the news channel to load.

Colorado Mountain Collage has a CAMERA FEED of the bridge progress