August 20, 2008
PROJECT UPDATE
US 24 LEADVILLE CONSTRUCTION
Paving begins August 26
LEADVILLE – Colorado Department of Transportation contractor Tezak Heavy Equipment is progressing on the project to widen, improve safety and rehabilitate the existing asphalt surface on US 24 west of Leadville. The new stretch of highway, between mile markers 169 and 174 is now fully constructed and awaiting paving, which will begin on August 26.
Major work items to date have included a culvert replacement at the Arkansas River; embankment and earth work for the widened highway (with 6-foot shoulders); straightening of four vertical curves (hills) on the roadway between the Arkansas River and Lake County Road 99; and a full-depth reclamation of the existing roadway, which involved removing the entire 12 inches (depth) of asphalt.
“We’ve essentially taken the driving surface down to the clay/sand layer,” CDOT Project Engineer Clint Moyer said. “We’ll resurface with 5 inches of new asphalt—it’s going to be a brand new highway.”
During this pavement reclamation process, vertical curves were flattened by as much as 4 feet, to improve motorists’ sight distance and increase safety. When the highway was flattened, crews would then roll the surface and allow traffic to travel through.
“Each time we’d flatten a curve, there would be a period of soil testing; we were looking for deflections or soft spots in the clay surface,” Moyer said. “We’d remove more soil and repair the soft spot, let the area dry again; we continued this process until we were satisfied that the road base was firm and ready for paving. This was a daunting process but absolutely necessary when you’re starting with a brand new road base surface.”
The project will finish up with erosion control, striping, and signing, and is scheduled for completion by October 1. Through the duration, motorists can continue to expect delays in travel Monday through Friday (and most likely on Saturdays during paving operations), from 7 A.M. to 7 P.M.
“We appreciate the quality product that is being produced by CDOT on this stretch of highway,” Lake County Commissioner Ken Olsen said. “A significant amount of Leadville and Lake County residents commute to work every day on US 24, and this project will improve public safety significantly.”
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