SH 82 Grand Avenue Bridge

Grand Avenue Bridge on SH 82 in Glenwood Springs crosses the Colorado River, I-70, and the railroad tracks. It stands as a gateway to Glenwood Springs, Glenwood Canyon and I-70, the Roaring Fork Valley, and Colorado’s western slope communities.

The Grand Avenue Bridge was built in 1953 as a two-lane bridge with shoulders. It currently carries four lanes of traffic in narrow lanes with no shoulders, is in poor condition, and is past its 50-year design life. This project is critically important as there are only two roadway options to the Grand Avenue Bridge over the Colorado River. These options have much lower capacity and require out-of-direction travel. In the event of a closure on the alternate route, the bridge must remain a safe and functionally viable connection.

The Colorado Department of Transportation and the Federal Highway Administration are conducting an Environmental Assessment (EA) process to address functional, structural, and safety deficiencies of the SH 82 Grand Avenue Bridge in Glenwood Springs and to bring it up to current standards for a four-lane bridge.

In September, Alternative 3 was identified as the preferred alignment to be studied further in the EA. In October, the project team’s evaluation of the 6^th and Laurel intersection options resulted in the identification of the Option 3E to be studied further in the EA. Option 3E would have a local access /6th Street traffic signal near Exit 116 and a signalized intersection for local traffic at 6th and Laurel.

The traffic simulation and video simulation shown here help illustrate what drivers and pedestrians would experience under this alternative configuration.

Alternative 3E: Alternative 3E shows the intersection at 6^th and Laurel as a signalized intersection instead of a roundabout.

VIDEO SIMULATION

The Colorado Department of Transportation and the Federal Highway Administration are conducting an Environmental Assessment (EA) process to address functional, structural, and safety deficiencies of the SH 82 Grand Avenue Bridge in Glenwood Springs and to bring it up to current standards for a four-lane bridge. In September, Alternative 3 was identified as the preferred alignment to be studied further in the EA.

Video simulations were shown at the August 22, 2012, Public Open House to help illustrate what drivers and pedestrians would experience under each of the alternative configurations.

Alternative 3E: Alternative 3E shows the intersection at 6^th and Laurel as a signalized intersection instead of a roundabout.

Funding

The bridge is eligible for funding under the Colorado Bridge Enterprise (CBE) as a part Senate Bill 09-108, also known as FASTER (Funding Advancements for Surface Treatment and Economic Recovery). The purpose of the CBE is to complete designated bridge projects that involve the financing, repair, reconstruction and replacement of bridges designated as structurally deficient or functionally obsolete, and rated “poor” by CDOT. CBE will primarily fund improvements to or replacement of the Grand Avenue Bridge and elements needed for the optimal function of the bridge.