I-70 bridge gets emergency repairs

BAKERVILLE, Colo. ” One westbound lane of Interstate 70 between Bakerville and the Eisenhower Tunnel is closed for emergency repairs to a 35-year-old bridge.

A stretch of about one-fifth of a mile was closed starting Sunday and is expected to reopen Dec. 7, state transportation officials said.

The bridge has had a recurring pothole. “After we examined it, we noticed the subsurface of the bridge deck might be failing, requiring repairs as soon as possible,” Colorado Department of Transportation Project Engineer Kevin Brown said.

A combination of heavy traffic and water channeling down the right lane of the bridge appears to have damaged that section of the bridge deck faster than usual, he said.

Brown said the goal was to have the highway fully open before heavy holiday and ski season traffic.

ABCO Contracting, Inc. of Denver was handling the $150,000 project.