No Name Tunnel work begins April 7

GLENWOOD SPRINGS — State highway crews will resume work next week on the No Name Tunnel, just east of Glenwood Springs on Interstate 70, as part of a project that started last year, was put on hold over the winter and is expected to last into next fall.

The work will start up on April 7 on a project to rehabilitate the lining of the tunnel. The $2.7 million project was awarded by the Colorado Department of Transportation to BTE Concrete Formwork LLC, of Glenwood Springs. Initial work began in September 2007 but was suspended in December.

Single-lane closures in each direction will be in place 24 hours a day, seven days a week, between mile markers 117 and 119. Motorists can expect traffic to be slow through that section, and delays will be common.

A width restriction of 14 feet will be in place through the duration of the project. Highway safety officials are urging motorists to slow down and maintain a safe following distance, for the safety of other motorists and workers in the tunnel.

The project involves removal of the tunnel lining (which consists of porcelain-painted metal), and the repair of existing cracks. The lining is to be replaced with approximately 60,000 square feet of four-inch-square ceramic tiles, similar to the lining in the Hanging Lake Tunnel. Work will also include guardrail replacement in the tunnels.

The project is scheduled to be completed by the end of October of this year.

For information on this and other CDOT projects, log on to www.cotrip.org or call 511 from anywhere in the state.