Overview
SH 119 – Main Street South
CDOT
Project No. C 119A–051
The Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT) is in the process of designing improvements for SH 119 in Gilpin County, Colorado. The portion of SH 119 that is being improved as part of this contract begins at the intersection with Main Street in Black Hawk and extends southerly for approximately one mile. The Federal Highway Administration has concurred with CDOT's recommendation that the NEPA designation for this project will be processed as a Categorical Exclusion.
CDOT along with the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment (CDPHE) and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) have established combined transportation and environmental goals that are unprecedented in a project of this nature.
Improvements to the existing two lane facility will consist of re-alignment of the existing roadway to flatten out the curves and provide for a 45 MPH design speed. The improved stretch of SH 119 will be comprised of a four lane median divided roadway with full roadway lighting along the length of the improvements. In order to accomplish these improvements, new bridge structures and retaining walls will be required to minimize impacts.
In addition to the roadway improvements, the project involves a superfund cleanup of the mine tailings and mine waste present within the project limits and treating the acid mine discharge from the National Tunnel that is polluting the North Fork of Clear Creek and has killed the aquatic life once abundant in the stream.
To facilitate the design process, the CDOT team actively participates in the North Clear Creek Mitigation Advisory Committee (NCCMAC) to develop and implement design solution for the SH 119 corridor. As an example of some of the context sensitive design solutions that have come out of the NCCMAC committees is the development of a passive treatment system to treat the acid mine discharge from the National Tunnel. Specialized stream modifications consisting of pools and riffles will be incorporated into the stream to assist in creating fish habitat as well as stormwater runoff treatment facilities that will protect the newly established stream.
The SH 119 project is an example of CDOT's commitment to providing transportation facilities that increase the mobility and safety of the motoring public while implementing context sensitive design solutions that demonstrate CDOT's commitment to being a steward for the environment in which we live.