July 21, 2008
TRAFFIC ADVISORY
WESTBOUND I-76 TO CLOSE WEDNESDAY FOR EMERGENCY REPAIRS
SEDGWICK COUNTY – Starting at 6 a.m. on Wednesday, July 23rd, the Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT) will close westbound I-76 between Julesburg and Sedgwick, mileposts 180 to 165, for emergency roadway repairs at milepost 168.
“Currently, I-76 is in a temporary alignment due to construction, which means we have a portion of the roadway that crosses over from the permanent alignment to the temporary alignment,” said CDOT Project Engineer Craig Schumacher, “This portion of the highway is in need of immediate repairs due to normal wear and tear and we must close the westbound lanes of I-76 to complete the work.”
During the closure on Wednesday, motorists on westbound I-76 will be detoured to US 385 where they will go north to US 138. Once on SH 138, they will go west to State Highway (SH) 59 and then south to westbound I-76. Motorists should plan ahead and provide extra time for travel.
Once westbound I-76 reopens around 8 p.m. on Wednesday, I-76 will return to its temporary alignment with one lane open in each direction on the eastbound lanes. CDOT expects I-76 to be in this configuration until mid-September 2008. During this time, a 12-foot width restriction will be in place. Oversize vehicles will use SH 138 as an alternate route. In addition, the speed limit will be reduced from 75 MPH to 65 MPH.
CDOT would like to remind motorists to obey all traffic signs and flaggers and to “Slow for the Cone Zone.”
This work is part of a project that reconstructs approximately 6.5 miles of westbound I-76 in concrete and makes some minor interchange improvements that includes extending the acceleration and deceleration lanes and repaving the ramps in concrete rather than asphalt.
Upper Plains Construction is the contractor of this $12.6 million project, which is scheduled to be complete by the end of October 2008.
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